Georgia’s new voting law has inspired a heated national debate.
This anti democratic law is part of an ongoing effort by the Republican Party to make voting more difficult, mostly because Republicans believe they win when turnout is low.
Voter fraud is exceedingly rare.
There seems to be a consensus, among both parties, that Democrats benefited from high turnout (which may not be true). Republicans in many states have responded by trying to make voting harder, especially in cities and heavily Black areas — through onerous identification requirements, reduced voting hours, reduced access to early voting and more.
The new Georgia law is a response by Republican legislators and Gov. Brian Kemp to their party’s close losses there in the 2020 elections. The law reduces hours for absentee voting, increases ID requirements, and incredibly limits the distribution of water and food to voters waiting in line.
Atlanta, the Democrats’ most important source of votes: sees a new limit on absentee-ballot drop boxes. It is likely to reduce the number of drop boxes in metropolitan Atlanta to fewer than 25, from 94 last year.
What will the impact be?
Some Democrats may be be exaggerating its likely effects. Biden, for example, suggested that the law would close polling places at 5 p.m. It won’t. As is already the law, local governments must keep polling places open until 5 p.m. and can keep them open until 7 p.m.
We must, as always, research these matters and not talk about provisions that the Georgia legislature considered but did not include.
The New York Times’s Nate Cohn has argued that the effects will be smaller than many critics suggest. He thinks it will have little effect on overall turnout or on election outcomes.
The law mostly restricts early voting, not Election Day voting. Early voters tend to be more highly educated and more engaged with politics. They often vote no matter what, be it early or on Election Day.
But Georgia is so closely divided that even a small effect — on, say, turnout in Atlanta — could decide an election. And the law has one other alarming aspect, It could make it easier for state legislators to overturn a future election result after votes have been counted.
The new Georgia law is intended to be a partisan power grab. It is an attempt to win elections by changing the rules rather than persuading more voters.
Georgia’s law is based on “a big lie,” which is worrisome. But the impact may be modest, but we must be on guard. You can judge for yourselves after looking at the list below
* Voters will now have less time to request absentee ballots.
* There are strict new ID requirements for absentee ballots.
* It’s now illegal for election officials to mail out absentee ballot applications to all voters.
* Drop boxes still exist … but barely.
* Mobile voting centers are essentially banned.
* Early voting is expanded in a lot of small counties, but probably not in more populous ones.
* Offering food or water to voters waiting in line now risks misdemeanor charges.
* If you go to the wrong polling place, it will be (even) harder to vote.
* If election problems arise, a common occurrence, it is now more difficult to extend voting hours.
* With a mix of changes to vote-counting, high-turnout elections will probably mean a long wait for results.
* Election officials can no longer accept third-party funding (a measure that nods to right-wing conspiracy theories).
* With an eye toward voter fraud, the state attorney general will manage an election hotline.
* The Republican-controlled legislature has more control over the State Election Board.
* The secretary of state is removed as a voting member of the State Election Board.
* The G.O.P.-led legislature is empowered to suspend county election officials.
* Runoff elections will happen faster — and could become harder to manage.
********
Source: The New York Times
