The fight over voting rights is surfacing as one of the defining conflicts of the Biden tenure. Georgia fired the opening shot with a series of new restrictions highlighting the legal, political, and financial clashes that will shape whether Republicans retake the White House and Congress. On Friday, President Joe Biden touted Georgia's new law as an "attack on the Constitution" and stated that the Justice Department is looking into Republican voting efforts in the state without expounding on details.
Georgia's New Law on Voting Rights
Voting rights advocates indicate Georgia's new law limiting voting access and plans in other Republican-controlled states to implement restrictions of their own highlights the need for federal legislation to set a national foundation for voting measures. In a statement issued this afternoon on Georgia's voting law, Biden repeated his call for Congress to enact voting rights legislation. He stated, "This is Jim Crow in the 21st Century. It must end," reported CNN.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp swiftly signed an extensive rewrite of Georgia's election guidelines into law on Thursday. It imposed limiting drop boxes, voter ID requirements, and allowing state takeovers of local elections after 2020's close presidential race. Kemp finalized the bill just more than an hour after it cleared the General Assembly. This left no doubt regarding its fate amid public pressure against voting limitations, reported Tampa Bay Times.
On Friday, Kemp underscored the president's criticism. According to Kemp, "This bill expands voting access, streamlines vote-counting procedures, and ensures election integrity." He added there is nothing "Jim Crow" regarding requiring a state-issued ID or photo to vote by absentee ballot since every Georgian voter should already do such when voting in-person, reported WALB News 10.
Kemp continued that President Biden, the national media, and the left are bent on destroying the ballot box's security and sanctity. He added his role as secretary of state denotes that he will consistently lead the fight to shield Georgian elections against power-hungry, partisan activists. Meanwhile, as governor, he would not back down from keeping Georgia elections accessible, secure, and fair.
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The new law will significantly roll back access to the ballot box in the United States' most hotly contested battleground state. The new law was passed by both chambers of the state legislature and is designated specifically to address the controversies that engulfed the Peach State after last year's election when Biden narrowly beat former President Donald Trump, and two new Democratic senators were elected from Georgia, overturning the balance of power in the chamber.
Georgia has been at the center of such a problematic election. The former president zeroed in on his loss in the state.
Civil rights groups challenged the new law in federal court. They were backed by prominent Democratic voting rights attorneys. Several Black leaders described the legal skirmishes to come as existential combat for representation, indicating the law apparently targets black and brown voters.
According to Stacey Abrams, the founder of Fair Fight Action and a former Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Georgia, Georgia's Republicans exhibited they were intent on reviving Georgia's unfavorable past of racist voting guidelines. She added that now, Americans should demand federal action to shield their voting rights.
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