When Republican Governor of Georgia Brian Kemp signed Law SB 202, the controversy began and sparked a nationwide debate about electoral repression.
ATLANTA – Georgia’s new controversial electoral law faces legal challenges and is gaining national attention as the state continues to receive the political spotlight.
The main focus was already on the Peach State – a swing state that achieved a historic turnout during the presidential election and the Senate runoff, in which the two Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won the seats in the Senate. The results have shifted the balance of power in favor of the Democrat.
When Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed Law SB 202, the controversy began and sparked a nationwide debate over electoral repression.
- need an ID number to request a postal vote,
- Cut off requests for absentee voting 11 days before an election,
- Limit the number of postal ballot papers and
- Make it an offense to give food or water to voters in line.
Opponents use the term “Jim Crow 2.0” to describe the bill on social media, drawing on the legacy of segregationist practices that have systematically disenfranchised black voters, among others. Republicans say the label is over the top.
President Joe Biden interfered with the new voting measurements.
“You don’t need anything else to know that this is nothing more than punishment – to keep people from voting,” he said.
Former President Donald Trump spoke out in favor of the new law.
Federal lawsuits have already been filed. Georgia Democratic Party leader Nikema Williams called the bill “a slap in the face of Georgia’s civil rights heritage.”
“It’s anti-democratic. It’s un-American, “he said.” They try to make it harder for people to choose. “
RELATED: State Secretary Park Cannon Arrested at the State Capitol
Community activists have determined Georgia’s turnout as a result of the signing of the new law.
“It’s worse than Jim Crow,” said community leader Derrick Boazman. “This bill would make it criminal to distribute a bottle of water to an old lady who had to stand in line.”
Kemp argued that SB 202 extends electoral access and ensures electoral integrity. In a statement, he said: “It is nothing to ask ‘Jim Crow’ to have a photo or state-issued ID to vote by postal vote – every Georgian voter must do so by the time they vote in person.”
Kemp’s former rival in the gubernatorial race, Stacey Abrams, isn’t holding back on social media. Abrams tweeted, “Today was a reminder of Georgia’s dark past. We have to fight for the future of our democracy. “
Abrams is credited with helping to register nearly 800,000 new voters in the state in recent years.
