Andy Beshear signed a bipartisan-supported bill into law on Wednesday that expanded voting access by codifying election recount procedures, online absentee ballot portals and early voting procedures -- an exception to the GOP efforts nationwide to overhaul state election rules in the wake of the 2020 election. The bill, HB 574, passed 91-3 in the state House and 33-3 in the state Senate before going to Beshear's desk last week. Among its provisions are the official approval for voting centers, an online portal for absentee ballot registration and three days of early voting. It will also require drop boxes, creates official recount procedures, allows for tax dollars to advocate for or against ballot questions and mandates all voting machines to generate a paper trail for votes cast, Beshear said. The efforts have drawn criticism -- particularly in Georgia, where the new law has become the target of corporate backlashRead More

Source: CNN April 07, 2021 17:38 UTC