A Georgia law enforcement agency would have the authority to investigate election crimes under the latest voting regulation approved by the Republican-controlled state Legislature.
The measure was passed on Monday during the last day of the session. It's one of several election changes state lawmakers have approved after former President Donald Trump made false claims of widespread voter fraud.
Over the objections of Democrats, Republicans in the state House voted to give the Georgia Bureau of Investigation authority to look into alleged wrongdoing that could affect the outcome of an election. The secretary of state's office is currently responsible for investigating alleged election violations.
State Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat said, “It will not only be used against your voters but could also be used against organizations and those county election board officials or their workers.”
Clark said, “Again, they already have a hard enough time getting poll workers, and now you want to sic the GBI on them. What are we doing here?”