ATLANTA, Ill. — The state election board voted Monday to authorize use of the secretary of state's proposed online absentee ballot request portal.
According to a release from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office, the portal is currently undergoing testing. The portal will make it easier for voters to request absentee ballots in the future as well as allowing county officials to process the dramatic increase in absentee ballots as seen during the pandemic.
“Already a national leader with automatic registration, three weeks of early voting, and no-excuse absentee ballot voting, the new portal will keep Georgia at the forefront of voter access and security," Raffesnperger said in a release.
According to the release, the new rule will allow registered Georgia voters to submit an absentee ballot application through the new online portal.
The voter's identity is verified by way of matching their name, date of birth and driver's license or state identification card number with the information contained in state voter registration files.
All other absentee ballot applications will require a voter's signature that matches the signature on file with the secretary of state's office.
Raffensperger first announced the online portal during a June 17 press conference.
He said that the online system will make it easier to track the massive surge in absentee ballot requests during the pandemic in a timely manner.
More than 1 million Georgia voters cast absentee ballots during the June 9 primary, according to Raffensperger's office.
State and local officials have said they are anticipating even more mail-in votes for the November general election.