Stacey Abrams Denounces Georgia House For Passing ‘Anti-Democratic’ Election Bill

Voting rights activist Stacey Abrams denounced a bill passed on Monday in Georgia’s House of Representatives saying it is “one of the strictest and most anti-democratic pieces of voter suppression legislation” in U.S. history.

House Bill 531 (HB 531) intends to limit early voting and create more obstacles for those who vote absentee. Abrams and her group Fair Fight released a Twitter thread detailing the many changes HB 531 seeks to make Georgia election law.

THREAD: Today, Georgia House Republicans took yet another step to send voting rights in Georgia back to the days of Jim Crow and forced through #HB531, moving forward on one of the strictest and most anti-democratic pieces of voter suppression legislation in the country. #gapol

— Fair Fight (@fairfightaction) March 1, 2021

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HB 531, “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,” said the organization in the thread.

Bill co-sponsor State Rep. Barry Fleming (R) said that the bill is “designed to begin to bring back the confidence of our voters back into our election system” in an interview with GPB.

Director of the Georgia branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Christopher Bruce held a press conference in front of the Georgia State Capitol on Monday to denounce HB 531. “Every eligible Georgian who wants to cast a ballot, to make their voice heard should be able to do so with ease. But HB 531 does not reflect that goal,” said Bruce. “At every turn, the bill erects new hurdles to access and guts much of Georgia’s existing voting infrastructure.”