Contrary to what the governor of Georgia, Fox News, Newsweek and others have said since Major League Baseball moved the All-Star Game out of the Atlanta area, Colorado’s voter access laws are no more restrictive than those of Georgia. .
Almost all measures make Colorado easier to vote and are consistently and widely regarded by Democratic and Republican officials as one of the safest and most accessible states in the United States to vote.
The two states are being compared as MLB moved its annual All-Star Game out of Atlanta Braves Stadium after Georgia passed a controversial new voting law. The match is rather held at Coors Field.
Here are some ways in which voting laws differ between Colorado and Georgia.
Voter ID
This is where Colorado and Georgia are mostly compared by conservatives.
“What I am being told also has a requirement for photo IDs,” Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said Tuesday. “So it does not make much sense to me.”
Personal voters in Georgia must provide a photo ID when voting or by following their provinces within three days. Colorado does not have such a requirement (and only a fraction of voters vote personally).
Voters in both states can use a wide variety of identifying documents, from standard photo ID to a bank or utility statement. In Colorado, voters who are unable to provide ID documents can vote for the time being.
Early voting
Georgia has 17 days of early voting. Colorado has only 15. The vast majority of voters in Colorado do not vote personally.
Daniel Brenner, Special to the Denver Post
Electoral judges are organizing ballot papers at the Denver constituency on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
Ballot papers by post
Provinces of Colorado automatically send ballot papers to registered voters, who can return the ballot papers at their convenience by mail or at a wide variety of delivery sites.
Voters in Georgia must request the ballots by mail. And the state has tightened its laws to require people to vote in specifically designated areas.
Food and water
In Georgia, it is illegal to provide food or water to people within 150 feet of the boundary of a polling station or within 25 feet of any voter standing in line.
Under Colorado law, voters can give food or water unless they are within 100 feet of a polling station or wear campaigns or accessories bearing the name or image of a candidate, party, or issue.
The rules are less important in Colorado, as nearly all voters vote by mail and long ballots are rarely reported here.
Deadline for registration
Georgia cancels registration 28 days before election day, while Colorado allows registration until and even on election day.
Parole mood
Colorado allows all released people to vote from 2019 onwards. Georgia does not. None of the countries allows prisoners to vote.