WASHINGTON, DC – The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia on Friday over the recently passed electoral law.
“The right to vote for all eligible citizens is the central pillar of our democracy,” said US Attorney General Merrick Garland during a press conference on Friday. “They are the rights from which all other rights ultimately arise.”
In March, Governor Brian Kemp signed a controversial bill that will affect how Georgia residents can vote in the future. Thirteen other states passed similar restrictive laws.
[READ: Georgia’s full voting law]
“Changes to Georgia’s electoral law were made with the aim of denying or restricting black Georgians the right to vote based on race or color,” Garland said. “Wherever we believe Americans’ civil rights have been violated, we will not hesitate to act.”
The lawsuit alleges that the discriminatory effects of these laws on black Georgians were known to the lawmakers and that they adopted them anyway.
Civil Rights Director Kristen Clark said the lawsuit will target provisions in the bill that shorten the deadline for postal voting, restrict access to ballot boxes, make the provision of food and water at polling stations illegal, and groups for that Sending duplicate nominations will penalize and prohibit the government, among other things, from sending unsolicited applications to voters.
“The Department of Justice will use all tools at its disposal to ensure that every eligible citizen can register, cast a vote and have those ballots counted free of racial discrimination,” said Clark. “Laws passed with racially motivated intent, like Georgia Senate Bill 202, simply have no place in democracy today.”
[BREAKDOWN: What is in Georgia’s new voting law, also known as SB 202?]
Garland said this is the first of many steps the DOJ will take to ensure that all eligible voters nationwide can cast a vote. He said he would use the provisions of the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to enforce electoral laws and protect voting rights.
Governor Brian Kemp went on the offensive during a press conference later that afternoon from Savannah on Friday.
“Today the Biden Justice Department launched a politically motivated attack on the rule of law and our democracy. Just three days ago, the United States Senate stopped a top legislative priority of the Biden administration and its far-left allies, ”Kemp said. “Fortunately, because the Republicans stood firm, this unconstitutional seizure of power was put to an end. And now, because the American people have gone against their agenda, the Biden administration is arming the Justice Department to serve their own partisan goals. “
Kemp said the lawsuit arose out of lies and misinformation.
[READ: Getting both sides: Chairs of Republican, Democratic Parties debate the details of new voting law]
“Let me make it clear that the DOJ’s lawsuit announced today is legally and constitutionally completely wrong. Your false and unfounded allegations are honestly disgusting. But I can’t say I’m surprised. The president and his administration, Stacey Abrams and their far-left allies, lied about the electoral integrity law from the start. Even the mainstream media fact-checkers have called him multiple times, “Kemp said. “I’m not moving back. And I could tell you that Joe Biden, Stacey Abrams and Merrick Garland don’t scare me. “
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also turned down the announcement on Friday, telling Channel 2 Action News that Biden politicized the Justice Department by pursuing false attacks by the likes of Stacey Abrams.
“You will find out the hard way that Abrams is not making a legal argument that will stand up in court. She makes cynical appeals for donations that infuriate her base and enrich her, “said Raffensperger.
The Georgia ACLU said it was happy with the decision.
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“The Justice Department now has leaders with vast experience in civil rights enforcement, and we are thrilled to have them join our democracy in the struggle,” said Andrea Young, executive director of the ACLU of Georgia.
The lawsuit comes two weeks after Garland said the Justice Department would look into a wave of new laws in Republican-controlled states that tighten voting rules. He promised to take action if prosecutors found illegal activity.
The move also comes as pressure grows on the Biden government to respond to GOP-sponsored laws that are being pushed forward in several states this year. An attempt to revise the electoral law was blocked by Republican senators this week.
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Highlights include the law requiring photo ID to vote by postal vote after more than 1.3 million voters in Georgia used the option during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After the elections in November last year, I knew, like so many of you, that significant reforms were needed in our state elections,” Kemp said at a press conference after he had signed the law. “If you are voting in person in the state of Georgia, you will be required to provide photo identification. It only makes sense that the same standard should apply to postal votes. “
Senate Democratic minority leader Gloria Butler said the bill was full of “voter suppression tactics”.
“We are witnessing a massive and blatant assault on voting rights unlike anything we have seen since the Jim Crow era,” added Butler.
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One of the biggest changes gives the GOP-controlled legislature more control over the electoral administration, a change that has raised concerns among constituencies that it could lead to greater partisan influence.
The law replaces the elected Secretary of State as chairman of the state election committee with a new representative of the legislature after Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger rejected former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn Georgia’s election results. It also allows the board to remove and replace district electoral officers who are deemed underperforming.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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