Georgia now requires election law training for new police officers, current officers encouraged to take training as well

ATLANTA, GA - Following a Tuesday vote of the Georgia Police Officer Training and Standards Council, Georgia has become the first state in the nation to require police officers to be trained in election law to become state-certified peace officers. The new mandate comes in the aftermath of the 2020 Presidential and Senate elections which generated the most controversy over election integrity the nation has seen in over a century.

According to reporting from The Guardian, the new requirement was designed to enable officers to handle election-related complaints on election day.

The outlet spoke with the Deputy Executive Director of the Council Chris Harvey, who explained, "Cops just really need to know what are some of the basic ground rules around elections and voting, because they’re very specific. In my opinion, the worst thing that can happen is if you have a partisan person or partisan force trying to manipulate the police, and have the police not have any idea what they’re supposed to be doing.”

Harvey was named as Director of Elections in 2015 by then-Secretary of State, later Governor Brian Kemp, and dealt with the chaos of the 2020 election first hand. He told the Guardian, "Having seen the threats to election officials, having seen things happen to polling places, having myself been threatened during the 2020 election, I know that … it was likely that election officials were going to be calling the police."

As reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the training will include protections against voter intimidation, election interference, and election security. and threats such as active shooter response, crisis intervention, and extremist groups. State law in Georgia prohibits election tampering, obstruction of poll workers and even handing out food or drink to voters in line.

Thanks to Georgia POST members & staff esp. CSSE's @wchrisharvey for leading a 1st-in-the-nation initiative: Basic training for new police to include election security course, incl. GA legal “protections against voter intimidation, interference & threats.” https://t.co/CrEhoKU2NY

— Committee for Safe and Secure Elections (@csselex) June 13, 2024

Harvey told AJC, “Without training, there’s almost no way that an officer would be aware of what their legal obligations are and what laws may be broken at a polling place. There are a number of laws that are designed to protect election officials and the public and the integrity of the process.”

He explained that police officers will be instructed on working with election officials and responding appropriately when problems arise.  

Stephanie Jackson Ali, policy director for the voting rights group, the New Georgia Project, warned that the officers need to be aware of the laws that protect voters but also stressed they need to avoid appearing heavy-handed. 
 

“Police presence is often intimidating for some voters,” Ali told The Hastings Tribune. “We ask that this training be thoughtful in the balance of bringing safety to polling places while also making sure voters have easy and comfortable access to the ballot.”

Harvey told reporters that the mandate for new officers to increase training hours from 408 to 810 hours takes effect January 1st, 2025, but added that existing officers will be urged to complete it prior to the Nov. 2024 election.