Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed a radical Republican-sponsored state election reform that includes new restrictions on postal voting and gives the legislature more control over how elections are conducted.
Among other things, the law requires photo identification to vote absentee by mail, after more than 1.3 million Georgia voters used that option during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also reduces the time people have to apply for an absentee ballot and limits where ballot boxes can be placed and when ballot boxes can be accessed.
Democrats and voting rights groups claim the law will disproportionately disqualify black voters. He is part of a wave of electoral projects supported by the Republican Party introduced in states across the nation after former President Trump provoked false claims that fraud led to his 2020 election defeat.
The bill, SB 202, was passed by the state chamber between 100 and 75 on Thursday earlier, before the state Senate quickly approved the 34-20 chamber changes. Republicans in the legislature supported it, while Democrats opposed it.
Kemp ruled on the bill during a live broadcast and was interrupted by Georgia State Representative Park Cannon, according to CBS affiliate WGCL-TV. Cannon, who was part of a group of protesters, knocked on Kemp’s door and was later arrested by police. She has been charged with criminal obstruction of law enforcement and preventing or altering General Assembly sessions or other member meetings, a misdemeanor. She was later released.
Conservative groups hailed the passage of the legislation, while liberals expressed concern.
“While some leftists tried to suppress Georgian voters by pushing policies that undermined confidence in state elections, Kemp and Georgia government rulers fought to restore voter confidence and trust,” he said. Conservative Heritage Action. “And today they have succeeded: this is a massive victory for every Georgian voter and for our country … Thanks to them, Georgia now leads the nation in free, fair and secure elections, the rest of the nation should continue “.
The Southern Poverty Law Center said Georgia’s Republican leaders “were accustomed to extremists” with the legislation.
“Thousands of voters have made it clear that the types of SB 202 provisions are unacceptable and will disproportionately harm historically unauthorized communities, young voters and disabled voters,” said Nancy Abudu, legal deputy director of the SPLC Action Fund. “The speed and magnitude of the current change in electoral policy in Georgia is unprecedented and does not resemble any other major political change in the recent history of the state.”
President Biden declared on Thursday in his first press conference as president open to modifying the filibuster on certain issues, such as the right to vote.
“The filibusters broke down and we were able to break the filibuster, get a quorum and vote. So I strongly support moving in that direction, as well as having an open mind when it comes to dealing with certain things that are – they’re just elementary. for the functioning of our democracy, as the right to vote, as the basic right to vote. We have modified the filibuster in the past, “he said.