By Joseph Ax
(Reuters) - Georgia's legislature approved a bill expanding law enforcement's power to investigate election fraud over the objections of voting rights groups, adding to a wave of Republican-backed legislation passed after former President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
The legislation passed late Monday would give the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the state's top investigative agency, the authority to initiate probes of election crimes. Under current law, the secretary of state's office looks into allegations of irregularities and can ask the GBI for assistance as needed.
Trump has fiercely criticized Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both fellow Republicans, for their refusal to overturn the results of the 2020 election, in which President Joe Biden became the first Democrat in nearly 30 years to win the state.
Raffensperger and state election officials have said there were no major problems with the election results after conducting multiple audits and investigations. Trump has endorsed Republican challengers to both Kemp and Raffensperger and held rallies with them in Georgia on March 26.
The legislation, which passed the state Senate along party lines, was significantly pared back from a version that earlier passed the state House of Representatives. That bill included several other provisions that were stripped out, including restricting nonprofit grant money to local elections...
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