A bill introduced in the Georgia Senate would allow voters to sign up to vote by mail every election.
Georgia already allows any voter to mail a ballot, but Senate Bill 409 would eliminate the need to request an absentee ballot each primary, general and runoff election.
“This is going to help voters of all different political stripes,” said state Sen. Elena Parent, a Democrat from Atlanta who introduced the bill Thursday. “To be honest, it’s probably going to be most popular among older voters, and they tend to skew Republican.”
Five states permit permanent absentee voting: Arizona, California, Montana, New Jersey and Nevada. Five other states use all-mail voting.
Under current Georgia law, voters with disabilities, living overseas or over 65 years old can fill out one absentee ballot application for all primary, general and runoff elections in a year, but they must re-apply each year.
It’s unclear whether the bill will advance through the legislative process. Nine Democrats signed the measure but it lacks a co-sponsor from the Senate’s Republican majority.
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