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From: TT
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Photo: Hyosub Shin / AP / TT
Voters in Norcross, Georgia, are lining up to cast their early vote in October 2020.
NEWS
New electoral laws in the US state of Georgia are accused of making it difficult for blacks to vote.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, does not beat around the bush about the law:
– He’s sick, he says.
New election laws have gone into effect in Georgia since the governor signed a bill passed by the state House and Senate.
– We quickly began working with the (Georgia) House of Representatives and Senate on new reforms to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. This proposal, which I just signed and is now becoming law, does just that, says Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, according to The New York Times.
The nearly 100-page law covers a wide range of areas. Critics say it is an attempt to make it difficult for minorities to vote.
Donald Trump has made false allegations of voter fraud in the state, allegations Governor Kemp also denied.
– So, Georgia legislators have decided to change the electoral rules to avoid electoral fraud that did not occur. Therefore, these measures are being introduced to solve something that was not a problem, says Andra Gillespie, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta, to TT.
Don’t give him water
Democrats are on the rise in Georgia, which has long been considered a Republican stronghold. Republicans lost both Senate seats to Democrats, and Democratic candidate Joe Biden also received more votes than incumbent President Donald Trump in last fall’s presidential election.
– Laws are also being introduced in light of Republicans losing presidential elections and Senate seats. Changing electoral laws just because a party doesn’t like to lose? Is that the right reason to change the electoral laws? Says Gillespie.
It highlights several examples in the new law that run the risk of affecting minorities more. The most notable is the ban on giving food or water to people queuing to vote.
– The concern of giving food and water is that it can be seen as a bribe to get someone to vote in a certain way, explains the background.
The problem is that queues are generally longer in black-dominated districts.
– During the primary elections in Atlanta in June, the voting machines failed and people queued for hours. And if you leave the queue, you must stay last. So people stayed there because they had already put in a lot of time and got dehydrated and thirsty, she says.
“You can question the motives”
Another part of the law limits the polls where early votes are cast, which must be placed inside early voting rooms and that votes can only be cast during office hours.
– This means that you can no longer leave your voice from the car, and it will be more difficult for those who have to work during office hours, says Andra Gillespie.
It will also not be mandatory to offer early voting on Sundays. Gillespie says that many African American church congregations in the past combined Sunday service with early and assisted voting. Early voting must also be approved based on identity documents and not signatures.
Minorities in Georgia are more likely to vote democratically, and even those who voted early in last year’s election predominantly voted Democratic.
– The law means problems for people who already have problems. Those who are in good health, have a car, flexible work, are probably not affected by this law. But for those who struggle with transportation, shift work, or have trouble with paperwork, it can make it more difficult. The challenge will be educating these people about the new requirements, says Gillespie.
– But just because I believe that the background of these measures is to prevent people from going to the polls, I do not necessarily believe that success is guaranteed. Regardless, I think the motives behind the law can be questioned, he says.
Biden: Oamerikanskt
President Joe Biden says the White House and the Justice Department are investigating whether anything can be done about the laws. At his first official press conference as president earlier this week, he was asked if he was concerned that Democrats would get fewer votes in states that are tightening voting rules.
– What worries me is how un-American this whole initiative is. He’s sick, Biden said.
– This is an outrage. If you want any indication that this has nothing to do with fairness, nothing to do with decency, then they passed a law that says you can’t give water to people who stand in line waiting to cast their vote.
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