JAMES Magazine Online: Georgia GOP Announces Legislative Priorities
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026
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The 2026 session of the Georgia General Assembly is underway, and the Georgia Republican Party has announced a list of “bold election integrity legislative priorities” for the year, including compliance with SB 189 which mandates the removal of QR codes, ending automatic “Motor Voter” registration and creating a statewide election court.
“We are grateful for the positive changes made in recent years, and the Georgia Republican Party remains as committed to continuing the pursuit of Election Integrity legislation in the 2026 Georgia General Assembly,” said Josh McKoon, chairman of the Georgia GOP. “We look forward to working with our Republican majorities in the State Senate and State House of Representatives on our list of priorities listed below.”
Also among the priorities are implementing voter registration by party and closed partisan primary elections, codifying election rules adopted by the State Election Board (SEB) in 2024 and ending Georgia’s participation in ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center). Another top issue is the elimination of “jungle primaries” – “all elections including special elections shall include partisan primaries.”
McKoon listed other legislative priorities for the Republican Party:
● Prohibiting unannounced openings of election offices to accept ballots.
● Requiring counties to pay treble attorney fees when appellate action is forced following the successful removal of ineligible voters.
● Strengthening oversight and regulation of ballot collection practices at long-term care facilities.
● Directing appeals of county election boards related to voter roll changes to the SEB rather than the Superior Court.
● Updating Georgia Department of Driver Services requirements related to NCOA data and voter roll maintenance.
● Adoption of legislation that meets the Trump Executive Order 14248 on Elections, including ending no-excuse absentee voting and returning to hand marked paper ballots with verifiable audit processes that require reconciliation, and ending early in-person voting.
● Reorganizing the SEB under the Department of Accounting, providing independent legal counsel, and expanding its jurisdiction over election complaints.
● Granting the SEB access to investigative tools currently utilized by the Secretary of State.
● Legislation outlawing rank choice voting except for UOCAVA and military voters voting in runoffs.


