Election officials blast Georgia bill as 'security theater'

Election 2020 Georgia Voting
Poll workers await ballots at the Gwinnett County Voter Registration and Elections Headquarters, Friday, Nov. 6, 2020, in Lawrenceville, near Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Some Georgia county election administrators are blasting proposed changes to state election law as “security theater,” which would waste time and money while driving away scarce election workers.

The county officials pushed back on House Bill 1464 during a Monday hearing before the Senate Ethics Committee.

The measure, earlier passed by the House, would let the Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigate election fraud without an invitation from other officials, would create extensive new chain-of-custody requirements for handling ballots, would allow only the State Election Board to accept private donations for election administration and would let people physically inspect paper ballots after an election.