Atlanta City Council kicks the can down the road on referendum legislation

Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari chairs a committee meeting where the council takes up Bakhtiari's proposed ordinance to codify the city's referendum proccess at Atlanta City Hall on Monday, January 22, 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

An Atlanta City Council committee has again delayed a vote on legislation to codify a process for verifying referendum and ballot initiatives.

The proposed ordinance was drafted with help from leading voting rights and election litigators. However, it has failed to garner sufficient support from elected city officials since it was first brought up in December.

At the committee on council’s meeting on Monday, Amber Robinson with the city of Atlanta’s legal department said it currently violates state law because it calls for random sampling, eliminates signature verification and gives organizers an additional 15 days to gather signatures after the verification process has already begun.