A bill before a Georgia Senate committee Wednesday could allow a Donald Trump-aligned state board to strike thousands of challenged voters from the state’s rolls and would require polling officials to count the number of ballots by hand.

Republican Rep. Tim Fleming of Covington said he and others decided to remove some of the most controversial provisions after they were panned by officials who work for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, county election directors and others in hours of testimony Wednesday night.

Georgia Senate advanced a measure to increase salaries of governor, attorney general, House and Senate leaders and other officials.

Ga., wave to the crowd during a Rally for our Republic gathering, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/)

With less than two weeks left in the legislative session, the Georgia Senate Ethics Committee revealed a bill seeking significant election changes.

An election security organization's arguments against rules of Senate Bill 202, which have been challenged in multiple lawsuits, were found to be speculative by the judge.

Democrats earnestly believe they can make next year’s elections a referendum on Trump — and even more so, fellow billionaire and chief government-cutter Elon Musk — and win back Congress while perhaps avoiding an extensive rebranding campaign in the wake of their 2024 losses.

Georgia election officials are urging lawmakers to reconsider banning the state from participating in a multistate database that helps efficiently maintain accurate voter rolls, and to make changes to the bill that would require hand counting of ballots as voting precincts are closing down for the day.