GEORGIA, Ga. (WALB) — A new bill introduced to the Georgia Senate could create a constitutional amendment to restrict voting to legal U.S. citizens.

The bill, Senate Resolution 4EX says, “No person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be entitled to vote at any election by the people.”

If passed, Georgians will vote on the constitutional amendment in the November election.

Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger said “I have been calling on the legislature for years to pass this amendment to the state constitution. I am glad to see the legislature finally act to ensure only American citizens are voting in our elections.”

According to Raffensperger, Georgia was the first state in the nation to conduct citizen verification of voter rolls. Since 2022, Raffensperger’s office conducted two citizenship audits of Georgia’s voter rolls.

SR 4EX Text

“Casting a vote is one of the most important elements of American citizenship. Any illegal vote dilutes the value of a citizen’s lawfully cast ballot. U.S. Citizens should decide Georgia elections. Period. I urge the legislature to pass this important legislation.”

The state uses information from the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) to identify people who are non-citizens. This data is based on documents provided to DDS, through its REAL ID drivers licenses or state identification cards.

That information is also ran through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to verify an individual’s citizenship status.

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The Oklahoma Sooners left no doubt in their 11-4 win over the Georgia Bulldogs to advance to the College World Series finals. It is OU’s second trip to the finals since 2022 but this one feels far more improbable.

A bubble team toward the end of the regular season and down 8-2 in an elimination game against Georgia Tech, Oklahoma has defied the odds and powered its way to the finals in Omaha. On Wednesday night, the Sooners hit five home runs against a Bulldogs team that led the nation in home runs per game this season.

Jason Walk got the home run party started, and Dasan Harris hit a pair of two-run bombs to help Oklahoma separate from one of the best teams in college baseball.

From the mound, freshman Nick Wesloski put together a strong performance for the Sooners, allowing just one earned run in 5.2 innings pitched. L.J. Mercurius worked 3.1 and allowed just one earned run against the vaunted Georgia offense.

On June 16, Georgia held closely watched runoff elections in Republican primaries for governor and U.S. Senate, as well as lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and the 11th Congressional District. There were also runoffs in Democratic primaries for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and three congressional districts. 

Past statewide runoffs have cost Georgia taxpayers as much as $75 million. Turnout in this year’s runoffs fell by 24% statewide – with several races falling by more than 60%. These high costs and low turnout are predictable problems that could have been prevented if Georgia used ranked choice voting (RCV).

Turnout in key Georgia runoff elections

Georgia held its initial primary elections on May 19. In 27 races where no candidate secured a majority of the vote, Georgia held runoffs between the top two finishers four weeks later.

Runoff elections are supposed to make government more representative by electing candidates with majority support. But in practice, runoffs usually shrink the electorate and come with a significant price tag for taxpayers and campaigns. 

In the state’s Democratic primary runoffs, turnout fell so much that several candidates won their runoffs with fewer votes than they received in the May primary – entirely defeating the purpose of the runoff. 

Votes for runoff winners

Ranked choice voting offers a better, faster, cheaper alternative. RCV allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, with an “instant runoff” determining a majority winner when necessary. This means winners are determined on Election Day, when participation is highest and voters still have access to the full range of choices. With RCV, voters wouldn’t need to cast a second ballot for the same offices, and taxpayers wouldn’t have to cover the cost of a second election. 

To support RCV in Georgia, visit Better Ballot Georgia today!