New Georgian law allows Dropboxes, which were first approved last year under a pandemic-triggered emergency order, but limits the number and location of the boxes. It also makes the days when people have to vote early in person more uniform, which means fewer days in larger counties and more days in smaller rural counties.
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In Nebraska, the number and location of dropboxes and the schedule for early personal voting are left to local officials.
“The big difference is that in Nebraska we have a lot of autonomy for local electoral officials,” said John Cartier, director of voting rights for Civic Nebraska, a non-partisan group based in Lincoln.
Iowa passed its own new voting restrictions this year. The law, which was signed by Governor Kim Reynolds on March 5, is already being challenged in court.
Among other things, the law reduces the number of days that postal ballot papers are requested from 120 to 70 days and requires election officials to send early ballots 20 days before a 29-day election.
It prohibits election officials from sending requests for an early vote unless requested to do so. It allows but doesn’t require counties to set up a Dropbox, and it postpones polling station closing time from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Georgia and Iowa laws were among the 361 bills introduced in 47 states in late March that would restrict voting, according to the New York City-based Brennan Center for Justice.
