ATLANTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff introduced a new law in Congress Monday called the “Voter Access to Water Act.”
The move is a direct response to Senate 202 bill signed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Republicans say this will restore voter confidence and protect the elections.
But Democrats like Ossoff say the Electoral Integrity Act criminalizes anyone who tries to distribute water to voters who stand in line for violations facing a year to jail and could deter voters.
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Senator Ossoff says this could discourage people from voting, especially in places with long waiting times, and says no other state in the country has such a restriction.
“Criminalizing a good Samaritan, a non-partisan volunteer who provides a bottle of water to an elderly, disabled and possibly mobility-related voter – who may have to wait hours to vote, is wrong,” says Sen. Ossoff.
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Georgia Governor and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says election workers can distribute water, but added this new provision in SB 202 so that people cannot distribute water if they are within a 150 foot radius as it does could promote politics, which means that people could try to influence voters.
“If you want to donate water, the election worker will distribute it and it’s impartial. Outside of 150 feet, people can do what they want, ”says Raffensperger.
“No other state has passed such an extreme law as Georgia to criminalize the water supply for voters,” says Ossoff. “This is not about partisan politics, but about decency, basic decency, health and well-being of a senior.”
Senator Ossoff says the more restrictions you add, the more it hurts voters to show up in the election.
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