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Georgia passed new Jim Crow voting laws today. Republicans will regret this very soon I think.

Georgia Governor Signs Election Overhaul, Including Changes To Absentee Voting

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed a massive overhaul of election laws, shortly after the Republican-controlled state legislature approved it. The bill enacts new limitations on mail-in voting, expands most voters' access to in-person early voting and caps a months-long battle over voting in a battleground state.

"With Senate bill 202, Georgia will take another step toward ensuring our elections are secure, accessible and fair," Kemp told reporters Thursday evening.

Kemp's remarks during the signing appeared to have been cut short as Democratic state Rep. Park Cannon was escorted out of the building by Georgia State Patrol. Cannon was seen on video knocking on the governor's door as he spoke.

The Georgia State Constitution states that lawmakers "shall be free from arrest during sessions of the General Assembly" except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace. It is not clear if Cannon is being charged with anything at this time.

The 96-page bill makes dramatic alterations to Georgia's absentee voting rules, adding new identification requirements, moving back the request deadline and other changes after a record 1.3 million absentee ballots overwhelmed local elections officials and raised Republican skepticism of a voting method they created.

Previous plans to require an excuse to vote by mail, as well as restrict weekend voting hours primarily used in larger Democratic-leaning counties, were scrapped amid mounting opposition from voting rights groups, Democrats and county elections supervisors.

On a 100-75 party-line vote, the state House approved SB 202 early Thursday, and the Senate voted later Thursday to agree with the House changes 34-20 on a party-line vote as well.

"Included in SB 202 are topics that are important to all Georgians," Ethics Committee Chair and state Sen. Max Burns said when presenting the bill, ticking through provisions like a new fraud hotline for the attorney general's office to a new expansion of early voting.

Earlier law required three weeks of in-person early voting Monday through Friday, plus one Saturday, during "normal business hours. The new bill adds an extra Saturday, makes both Sundays optional for counties, and standardizes hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or as long as 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

SB 202 also criminalizes passing out food or drinks to voters waiting in line, except for a self-serve water station.

Many of the measures in SB 202 will streamline the election administration process at the local level, such as allowing officials to process absentee ballots sooner, require them to count ballots nonstop once the polls close and allow flexibility with voting equipment for smaller, lower-turnout races. Poll workers could serve in neighboring counties, after the pandemic saw a shortage of trained workers.

Precincts with more than 2,000 voters that have lines longer than an hour at three different points throughout the day have to add more machines, add more staff or split up the poll. The absentee ballot request window is narrower, starting for most Georgians 11 weeks before the election and ending 11 days before.

Third-party absentee ballot applications must be more clearly labeled, and state and local governments are not be allowed to send unsolicited applications.

The bill will also shorten Georgia's nine-week runoff period to four weeks by sending military and overseas voters instant-runoff ranked choice absentee ballots and only requiring in-person early voting starting the Monday eight days before election day.

Democrats opposed several pieces of the bill, including language that removes the secretary of state as chair of the State Election Board, allowing the SEB and lawmakers a process to temporarily take over elections offices and limiting the number, location and access to secure absentee drop boxes.

Drop boxes were enacted as an emergency rule of the SEB because of the coronavirus pandemic, so this codifies their existence, requires all counties to have at least one, and would only allow voters to use the drop boxes during early voting hours and inside early voting locations.

"How does this bill help to build voter trust and confidence?" state Rep. Debbie Buckner said. "The bill adds up to more burdens and cost and returns to old practices that were abandoned years ago for security, convenience and safety."

Voters who show up to the wrong precinct will not have provisional ballots counted, unless it's after 5 p.m. and they signed a statement they could not make it to the correct poll.

A performance review of local elections officials could be initiated by the county commission or a certain threshold of General Assembly members. The SEB could also create an independent performance review board, and no more than four elections superintendents could be suspended at any given time.

Democratic Rep. Kim Alexander said county elections officials shared concern about the timing and the cost of the legislation, including a requirement for more expensive security paper for ballots.

"We have heard testimony from county election officials ... that more time is needed to fully understand the fiscal and logistical impacts the provisions in these bills would have," she said. "Given the substantial changes we'd be making with this legislation, why not take more time to get county input on the proposed legislation and take this up next session?"

In the Senate, Democrats objected to the bill being brought up without a fiscal analysis of the cost to the state and counties, but Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan ruled that the bill did not meet requirements that needed that sort of analysis.

Elsewhere in the bill, the secretary of state will be required to conduct a pilot of posting scanned ballot images from elections, and those images would be public records. Ballots used in the election will have to be on special security paper, which will cost more to use.

Overall, the bill will touch nearly every facet of elections, like a section that aims to provide more information about vote totals as results come in.

As soon as possible, but no later than 10 p.m. on election night, counties must publish the total number of votes cast by each method, and all absentee ballots have to be counted by 5 p.m. the day after the election, otherwise a county supervisor could face the state's new performance review process.

The 20-candidate special election to fill the remainder of Sen. Johnny Isakson's term and accompanying runoff between then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler and current Sen. Raphael Warnock is no more: special elections have special primaries.

Fulton County is no longer be able to use its two mobile voting buses for early voting, as the bill limits mobile polls to emergencies.

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/25/981357583...to-absentee-vot

Maybe you could state what you have a specific issue with.

Lawsuit will be filed. This will end up in courts and highly likely is overturned. Majority of Georgians didn't even want this passed. Obvious power grab. I think it backfires.

That was fast. Full 35 page complaint in the link.

Looks fine to me.

"The 96-page bill makes dramatic alterations to Georgia's absentee voting rules, adding new identification requirements, moving back the request deadline and other changes after a record 1.3 million absentee ballots overwhelmed local elections officials and raised Republican skepticism of a voting method they created."

Totally designed to surpress votes.. NOBODY has shown any proof that there was substantial voter fraud anywhere in the country... Yet, because Republicans lost "Bigly", their answer isn't to address the needs of the voting public, but instead to change the voting rules.

If that isn't enough "wrong" with this, then I can't even begin to explain your thinking

If there's something egregious regarding the ID requirements, then ok. I'm skeptical about how simply mandating that votes be counted on time will address the issue at all.

This sounds, to me, like they want to address the complete cluster (voting during pandemic) that happened. I'm sure they snuck in stuff that wasn't directly tied to this (voter ID). I've never been one to raise an eyebrow over requiring someone to present legit ID in order to vote, though.

I think the worst part about it is now it takes certifying the election results away from local officials. That's a complete overhaul of the norm.

Georgia bill could shift power over elections to GOP appointees

https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-bil...FKGA7Z2GZIEQEE/

There are obvious other issues with the bill such as restricting early voting which I can see no actual reason for. But this would put elections in the hands of political appointees rather than the standard local election boards.

I think that's a huge issue.

What is so wrong with;

Here is what day the election takes place?
Here are the times the voting booth is open?

Please register and show your ID and then take a ballot.

It is not hard that is actually pretty simple. In the real world games are played on certain days at certain times. If a team wants to win that game they need to show up on that day at that time. It is not difficult.

Absolutly, if they see a problem with the ID's sure, I have no problem with that.

It's how they intend to implement these changes..

Example, I have a very aware 87 year old Mother In Law.. Mentally, She's running strong. Physically, not so much.

Standing in line for Hours to vote on election day isn't in the cards for her..

So, it's not just that they are messing with the Black vote, But they are also messing with the elderly, the infirm the physically compromised American citizens.

Again,like you, it takes time to count the votes.. If it takes an hour, so be it. If it takes several days, so be it. The most important thing is to COUNT THE VOTES.. ALL THE VOTES..

Those that think there is nothing wrong with this, probably are republican and know that the only they can win is to stop certain people from voting.

You might wish to check waiting times for one thing. Some areas have so many places to vote the waiting time is 30 minutes or less. Some areas have so few voting places it takes sometimes six or more hours waiting in line to vote. Now if you wish to make it a fair playing field for everyone, that sounds fine. I wait less than thirty minutes every time I've voted. But then I don't live in "certain areas".

The real question becomes why would you want to create a situation where certain segments of our society have to stand in line for six or more hours to vote? Why do you think certain people should be required to pack a lunch and make voting a marathon event? And why do you think they should pass a law saying I can't even give someone waiting in line who is thirsty a bottle of water?

Voting should be a situation where everyone that votes has equal access and waiting times. Passing laws that intentionally make it harder for Americans to vote is, well, unAmerican.

If you actually read the article the new law says that if the line is longer than an hour wait they have to add more voting machines or polling places.

I'm all good with that as standing in line is a huge deterrent for me.

But you can keep making up lies if you wish.

That sounds great and all, but let's really look at that. First the line has to get to the point people are already waiting for over an hour. At that point, how long will it take them to order the voting machines, for them to arrive and be set up for use? An hour, several hours? By the time they actually accomplish that, how long will the wait time be by then? Why not just have the voting machines set up in advance if they are available?

They already know the locations people are waiting in line for hours. They already know where those locations are. So why not set up more voter locations and machines rather than wait for a problem you know is coming?

It's like saying, "We already know where the problem is but we're going to wait until it happens to try to address it." That doesn't make any sense.

How do you know they aren't setting up more voting locations? If they aren't then how do you know they aren't figuring it out during early voting?

Because we're talking about a GOP run state.

It would be common sense to understand that if those things were being done they would have told us a bout it. Those things were nowhere in the bill.

If you find any evidence they are doing any of those things I would certainly appreciate you letting us know. Since you live in Georgia you would probably see reporting about before any of the rest of us would.

As of now I think with all of the negative press about it, if they were actually taking measures to address such things they would be shouting it from the rooftop.

Jim Crow voting laws..

next, voters in 'certain districts' will be required to accurately guess the number of jelly beans in a jar before being handed a ballot...

I agree with most of your post.

The part I highlighted, though......I can understand that. Before you go off on me, let me explain: 1, they can't the person take their own bottle of water? But more importantly - where does it stop? A bottle of water? Or maybe a free meal? Or, maybe a threat? Or maybe some cash in hand?

Yes, it would be ideal to have more voting machines in areas they are needed, no doubt. Why that isn't the answer, I have no clue. THAT should be the answer, really.

To the gov't.: Oh, it would cost too much money? Shoot, the gov't. wastes more money now than any one can imagine.


We certainly should know the areas where the waiting is unacceptably long, and plan for that ahead of time. Show up, show an i.d., vote.

Because certain groups need special considerations. That's the bottom line.

j/c...

After reading the entire 35 page lawsuit filed it's seems highly likely this law will be overturned in the courts. The GA GOP isn't even really trying to hide the fact of what this law is intended to do when evidence of voter fraud was not found in the most recent cycle per their own audits, recounts and statements. Making is illegal to hand out food and water to voters waiting in line? Lol.

Hard to argue against the The Statement of Facts and Law in the complaint

Some items filed/noted in the complaint:

A recent study found that the average wait time in Georgia after polls were scheduled to close was six minutes in neighborhoods that were at least 90% white, and 51 minutes in places that were at least 90% nonwhite.

In response, the paramount concern among leaders of the Republican Party was to prevent these results from repeating in future elections. As Alice O’Lenick, Chairwoman of the Gwinnett County Board of Registrations and Elections, explained to fellow Republicans, 2020 was a “terrible elections cycle” for the Republican Party. She said, “I’m like a dog with a bone. I will not let them end this session without changing some of these laws. They don’t have to change all of them, but they’ve got to change the major parts so that we at least have a shot at winning.”

Meanwhile, Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger explained in a letter to Congress that he had independently authenticated the legitimacy of Georgia’s 2020 election. He reported:

My office has taken multiple steps to confirm that the result is accurate, including conducting a hand audit that confirmed the results of the Presidential contest, a recount requested by President Trump that also confirmed the result; an audit of voting machines that confirmed the software on the machine was accurate and not tampered with, and an audit of absentee ballot signatures in Cobb County that confirmed that process was done correctly. Law enforcement officers with my office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation have been diligently investigating all claims of fraud or irregularities and continue to investigate. Their work has shown me that there is nowhere close to sufficient evidence to put in doubt the result of the presidential contest in Georgia. ... While there is no such thing as a perfect election, our law enforcement officers are not seeing anything out of the ordinary scope of regular post-election issues that will be addressed by the State Election Board after the investigations are complete. There will end up being a small amount of illegal votes (there always is in any election because federal and state law err on the side of letting people vote and punishing them after the fact), but nowhere near the amount that would put the result of the presidential election in question.

In a moment of candor, even Speaker Ralston recognized that the premise of the special committee—that the integrity of the 2020 election had somehow been compromised—was fiction. He said: “Let’s look at the facts here. The facts are we’ve had [two] recounts. We’ve had an audit and we’ve had more than six—I’ve lost count. I know there’s at least six lawsuits that have been filed, all of which have been dismissed. Which kind of begs the question if there were, in fact, significant wrongdoing would it not have been disclosed?”

......

Taken together, these unjustified measures will individually and cumulatively operate to impose unconstitutional burdens on the right to vote, to deny or abridge the voting rights of Black Georgians, and to deny Black voters in Georgia an equal opportunity to participate in the electoral process and elect candidates of their choice in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

9.This Court has original jurisdiction over the subject matter of this action pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1343, because the matters in controversy arise under the Constitution and laws of the United States.

10. This Court has personal jurisdiction over the Defendants, who are sued in their official capacities only.

11. Venue is proper in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(2) and under Local Civ. R. 3.1 because, inter alia, several defendants reside in this district and this division and a substantial part of the events that gave rise to Plaintiffs’ claims occurred in this judicial district. Plaintiffs The New Georgia Project, Black Voters Matter Fund, and Rise, Inc. all operate within this district and division.

12. This Court has the authority to enter a declaratory judgment pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201 and 2202.

....


25. In the June 2020 primary election, nearly 1.1 million absentee ballots were returned for counting.

26. In the November 2020 general election, more than 1.3 million absentee ballots were returned and accepted. Nearly 30% of Black voters cast their ballot by mail in 2020, compared to only 24% of white voters.

27. To ensure their absentee ballots were received by election officials, and to avoid mail-delivery errors or delays, voters relied heavily on drop boxes—secure receptacles on government property under 24/7 video surveillance where absentee ballots could be submitted.

28. In Fulton County, for example, which is majority nonwhite, more than half of the 146,000 absentee ballots cast in the November election were submitted in a drop box.

29. To accommodate historically high voter turnout, Fulton County also offered mobile voting units. These specially outfitted buses held eight to ten voting stations and were deployed across the county to make the voting process easy and efficient.

30. In addition to absentee voting, approximately 2.7 million Georgians voted early in person in the 2020 general election; more than 2 million voters cast early in-person ballots in the U.S. Senate runoff elections.

31. The high turnout of in-person voters resulted in long lines at many polling places—especially at polling places located in Black neighborhoods. While majority-Black neighborhoods comprise only one-third of Georgia’s polling places, they account for two-thirds of the polling places that had to stay open late for the June primary to accommodate long lines. A recent study found that the average wait time in Georgia after polls were scheduled to close was six minutes in neighborhoods that were at least 90% white, and 51 minutes in places that were at least 90% nonwhite.

32. To ease the burden of these wait times, organizers delivered free food and water to polling places with long lines, and counties offered extended early voting hours, outdoor drop boxes, and mobile voting units to give voters additional opportunities to cast a ballot.

Among its provisions, the Voter Suppression Bill:

- Imposes unnecessary and burdensome new identification requirements for absentee voting;

- Unduly restricts the use of absentee drop boxes;

- Bans mobile polling places;

- Prohibits the state from distributing unsolicited absentee ballot applications;

- Prohibits third-parties—including voter engagement organizations—from collecting absentee ballot applications;

- Burdens voters with the risk of disenfranchisement due to meritless challenges that require an immediate defense of their qualifications;

- Invalidates ballots cast by lawful voters before 5:00 p.m. in a precinct other than the one to which they were assigned, regardless of the reason or their ability to travel to another location (or wait until after
5:00 p.m.) to cast their ballot;

https://www.democracydocket.com/cases/georgia-voter-suppression-bill/

I am all for looking for ways to streamline the actual voting process and reduce wait times.

Show your ID to the individual who is checking you on the voter record, get your ballot and be in and out. It doesn't take all that much time if you have all your information ready.

Having a right doesn't come without the expected responsibility.

I agree, all neighborhoods should have adequate polling places based on the population in that area. That area in turn should be able to provide adequate numbers of poll workers to staff the site, and the citizens in that area should be responsible enough to be prepared to vote.

To me, that is a part of civic duty.

I do believe that polling precincts should be open from sun up to sun down from Saturday-Tuesday. You should have the ability to register same day, maybe even pair that with the opportunity to get a photo ID created which should be provided free of charge if the State requires one.

I'd also favor making Election Day a National holiday with everyone but hospitals/first responders/LE/pharmacies open. EVERYONE is home with the no excuse to vote.

The big thing for me isn't that there is the potential for fraud at a national level as that would take a MASSIVE undertaking to pull off, it's the local races that would see the most shenanigans if there was any as that is where most votes count the most.

Other than that, I have no illusions that either party will attempt to game the system to their advantage. I would love to see that process taken completely out as much as possible of their grubby hands.

Me too. That’s why I support mail in voting. I’ve not stood in a line to vote since moving to Oregon in 2001.

I DID NOT LIE... I would suggest you reread my comments again,,, Show me the lie.... If you can't, I'll be waiting for an apology

Not changing the laws that were already on the books where no voter fraud was found are "special considerations"? Not having to wait in line for hours just like you don't have to is "special considerations"? Your BS falls flat here.

Remember that the next time someone brings that up in a gun debate.



Southern U.S. states have closed 1,200 polling places in recent years: rights group

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-e...p-idUSKCN1VV09J

Why Do Nonwhite Georgia Voters Have To Wait In Line For Hours? Too Few Polling Places

https://www.npr.org/2020/10/17/924527679...-few-polling-pl

‘It’s Very Much a Racial Issue’: Why Georgia Has Slashed Hundreds of Polling Places in the Last 4 Years

https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgzqn7/i...he-last-4-years

What was it you were saying about "special considerations" again?

I know I said all communities should have adequate polling sites.
Did you not see that?

As for closing polling sites, if it is simply a means to prevent people from voting, I am against that.

I don't think you know what polling sites have been closed. I know I don't. I would seem some number of those needed to be closed. I am not going to try to predict how many that might be, but I would feel pretty good in saying the number is more than one.

Some polling places get very little use compared to the number of people living in the area. Yet those places have to be staffed by election commission volunteers. Yes, in some cases it makes sense to combine poll sites. Yes that is going to make it more inconvenient for some voters.

I have no problem with that if there are controls. Maybe treat it like absentee voters who have to request a mail-in ballot. I am not a big fan of simply mailing out ballots to some last known address.

I don't think it unreasonable to make sure the ballots going out are received by actual living people, or the intended person at the address.

I actually provided you links to where polling places were closed and how long wait times are in those same areas. How those polling places being closed added to this situation. If you want to know, the answer is there.

If you wish to just throw darts in the air and claim you don't know, that's fine. But what that means is that you have chosen not to know. That's up to you.

I rarely read links. Save your time with me.

So you refuse to educate yourself to the facts. Got it.

I think the Democrats are playing this wrong. They complain how these actions disenfranchise minority voters. I think a more appropriate way is to say that it disinfranchises all voters. Democrats, Independents and Republicans. I think they would get further with their point of discussion if it were framed as a matter of fairness and equality for everyone, not just minorities or other effected groups that would be impacted disproportionately.

Calling it Jim Crow is a bit of a stretch.

No, not quite. Usually links in this forum are skewed to the viewpoint of the poster. Which is OK to some degree, but in this case I don't need to read which polling places in Georgia were closed. To be honest, I don't really care which were closed.

I pick and choose which links I might check depending on how much I care.

That's exactly right. He'll use vague references to try and justify what's going on like this admitting he has no idea what is actually going on....



Then when trying to give him resources to what is going on he refuses to look at it to find out. I think he understands that by finding out it may alter what he "feels" is going on.

Some people don't wish to see that there is an obvious pattern to make it harder for a certain portion of our society to vote. There was even a post that in their own words told you they wanted to make it harder for people to vote so they had a better chance to win elections.

But none of that actually matters to some people. Even when they say the things they are supposed to keep hidden out loud. Vague concepts and "we don't know" is much more comforting to them.

Yes we know, but most of us keep trying... That way you won't make off the wall comments that simply are not accurate.

Keep trying if you wish. I have read plenty of links and posted some in this forum. It always ends the same, so why bother? I no longer have any interest in your links just like you and yours have no interest in links from me and mine..

It appears as if actual quotes from people don't matter to you either.

I don't care in what context it's framed, it should never be illegal to offer another human being a drink of water.

I can only imagine what Jesus would have to say about this.