Assessing the Relationship of Georgia’s Senate Bill 202 and Voter Turnout in the 2020, 2022, and 2024 General Elections Using Current Population Survey Turnout Data

The Georgia Electoral Integrity Act (Senate Bill 202 or SB 202) passed in 2021, to reform the Georgian election system and address the institutional problems which plagued the 2020 general election. However, many of its policies proved quickly controversial, including shortening the early voting period and restricting the sale of food and drink near polling sites. Several advocacy groups alleged it supported voter suppression. The 2022 midterm election saw renewed attention to SB 202, with surveyed voters claiming a smoother electoral process compared to 2020; the 2024 election had no analysis in relation to SB 202. This study aims to fill these gaps through quantitative analysis of voter turnout data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) on elections from 2020-2024. For most groups analyzed, turnout declined in the first election following SB 202. Comparisons with North Carolina found some evidence that Georgia’s turnout declined more sharply than North Carolina overall, but not between 2020-2022. There is a possible association between SB 202 and lowered turnout in 2022 compared to 2020, and an incomplete recovery to 2020-level turnout in 2024. SB 202’s impact was generally consistent with a possible broad turnout-depressing association, not specific to ethnic groups; however, a causal link is not established.