Georgia Voting Restrictions Signed Into Law, Democrats Call Them ‘Racist’

In a hasty Senate session, the Georgia upper house voted in favor of sweeping voting restrictions, which have now been signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp (R).

When Georgia’s voting restrictions originally passed in the state’s House of Representatives, activist group Fair Fight detailed the several measures being pushed through the state’s legislature after the state’s historic 2020 blue shift. The group said the bill “is a dangerous attempt to roll back voting rights, leading to longer lines and more restrictive rules for absentee ballots while limiting weekend voting and threatening Georgians’ privacy by creating opportunities for identity theft just to request a mail-in ballot.”

When the bill reached Gov. Kemp’s desk, he signed it into law almost immediately. “Georgia will take another step toward ensuring our elections are secure, accessible, and fair,” he said.

Hours after Kemp signed the bill, the New Georgia Project, the Black Voters Matter Fund and Rise Inc. jointly filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia, citing the bill’s clear target toward minorities and under-represented people.

“In large part because of the racial disparities in areas outside of voting – such as socioeconomic status, housing, and employment opportunities – the Voter Suppression Bill disproportionately impacts Black voters, and interacts with these vestiges of discrimination in Georgia to deny Black voters (an) equal opportunity to participate in the political process and/or elect a candidate of their choice,” the groups’ suit reads.

President Joe Biden in his first solo press conference Thursday vowed to “do everything” in his power to stop the Georgia election restrictions, calling them “un-American.” Stacy Abrams, former gubernatorial candidate and founder of Fair Fight, released a statement soon after Biden saying, “Now, more than ever, Americans must demand federal action to protect voting rights.”