The Parent Press: Week 9 of the 2021 Legislative Session
The assault on voting rights took a dangerous leap forward this week. On Thursday afternoon, the House passed SB 202, the 98-page bill that Republicans sprung on House Democrats last week, which would provide the state with new powers over local election officials and place limits on absentee voting and runoff elections, among many other restrictions.
After SB 202 passed the House on a 100-75 vote, it was sent back to the Senate, where it passed on a 34-20 vote mere hours later. Senators were not given time to review the legislation before it came up for debate. Democrats in both chambers unanimously voted against the bill, and made our voices – and your voices – heard regarding what we view as an undemocratic and corrupt project to suppress the vote.
The bill was signed by Gov. Kemp very soon thereafter. In the midst, Rep. Park Cannon (D-Atlanta) was arrested for knocking on the closed door to the inaccessible Governor's office suite where the bill was being signed.
SB 202 is a Direct Attack on Voters
SB 202 includes many of the most restrictive elements of the other voter suppression bills that have passed the House and Senate, in addition to several new measures.
Watch me discuss SB 202 and voting rights in Georgia with Brianna Keiler on CNN Friday!
The provisions of the bill are numerous. Some of the most concerning aspects:
Restrictions on Drop Boxes
Drop boxes can only be located inside advance voting locations and are only accessible when those locations are open.
This means voters cannot use them during the three days preceding an election or on Election Day, despite the fact that their ballots likely will not be received in time if they are sent by mail
This provision does NOT increase security, but it does make them less accessible to the public.
Absentee Voter ID
The bill would also eliminate the signature-matching process to verify mail ballots and instead require voters to provide their driver's license or state ID number, or a photocopy of another accepted identification if the elector lacks those.
The only thing that voter ID rules protect against is voter impersonation, i.e. someone pretending to be someone else.
The GBI did not find a single case of voter impersonation in Cobb County, which saw the greatest partisan shift of any large metro county in 2020.
More than 100,000 registered voters may not have a Georgia drivers license or voter ID
A voter ID # is not a reliable way of identifying a voter, as this information is widely available through illicit means
Criminalizing "Line Warming"
SB 202 will make it a crime for someone who is not an election worker to give food or beverage to any elector waiting in line to vote, except for self-service water stations.
In the June 2020 primary, voters in Georgia's largest metro counties – Democratic strongholds with large minority populations – waited in line for up to eight hours.
There has never been any evidence that offering refreshments or ponchos has ever impacted a voter’s choice in an election
Georgia continues to experience some of the longest lines in any state
In Cobb County, in both 2018 and 2020, ambulances have been called to treat voters standing in line more than 5 hours to treat them for heat exhaustion and dehydration--and this bill would prohibit water from being offered to these voters
Unlimited Voter Challenges
SB 202 allows for any voter to challenge the right of another voter to cast their vote – and, allows for an unlimited number of challenges per person.
This provision is clearly ripe for abuse.
Bad actors are granted the right to “challenge” the right of any other citizen to cast their vote and make their voice heard.
If the grounds of these challenges are baseless, the challenges may be dismissed – but only after a hearing that is a burden on local elections authorities.
Granting the Legislature Power over the Election Board
Under SB 202, the Secretary of State will become a nonvoting member of the State Elections Board and no longer chair it. Instead, the Republican-controlled General Assembly would elect a chair by a majority vote. Since the legislature already appoints two board members, under this bill they would appoint 3 of 5 voting members to the board that oversee elections and refers potential election law violations to the attorney general or relevant district attorney. There have already been a number of examples this legislative session of moving power to the legislature in addition to this egregious one. The Republicans fear losing statewide elections -- like the Secretary of State's office -- so they are hoarding power at the legislature, which they assume they will be able to continue to control through gerrymandering.
The State Election Board (SEB), that the Legislature – which is controlled by Republicans – will control, will also now have the power to suspend county election superintendents and appoint temporary replacements.
After kicking the Secretary of State off of the board, the bill requires that the Secretary of State provide limitless resources to the SEB at the SEB’s sole discretion, effectively handing over control of the Secretary of State's office to the Legislature-controlled SEB
Granting the Legislature the authority to elect the chair of the State Election Board – the same board that governs the very elections that elect each member of the Legislature into office – by a simple majority vote clearly opens up the process to corruption and self-dealing
Election results are certified by counties. If the Legislature is convinced by The Big Lie, they could use this process to prevent a county from certifying results they don’t like.
An incumbent member of the Legislature could use this process to meddle in the certification of an election where they might be defeated, or to pressure election officials beforehand.
Limits on Out-of-Precinct Provisional Ballots
SB 202 would ban out-of-precinct voting until 5 p.m., and electors arriving after that point must sign an affidavit saying they cannot get to their assigned precinct in time to vote.
Currently, voters who show up to the wrong precinct can vote a provisional ballot and their votes will be counted for races they were eligible to vote for, like statewide races.
Prohibiting out-of-precinct provisional ballots would represent a dramatic change in Georgia election law, for no discernible rational basis
Precinct and polling place changes lead to higher numbers of provisional ballots
Redistricting this year will lead to even more precinct changes
Black voters are disproportionately impacted by out-of-precinct provisional ballots
Click to read my opinion piece on voting rights in the AJC!
Town Hall Announcement! Thurs., April 1 @ 6 PM
Or, follow these links!
Register for the Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsd-qgqjkvGNCsJbPmO6tr8MrG7yMxFTno
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COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Updates
As of March 25, vaccination criteria have been expanded to include all Georgia adults.
A good resource to make appointments: https://www.vaccinespotter.org/GA/