The chair and board members will be elected by the General Assembly, giving more power to the Republican-controlled state legislature. Gabriel Sterling, one of the top officials at the Georgia secretary of state's office, told CBS affiliate WMAZ that the ban is meant to prevent groups from using food and water to campaign within the restricted areas. As Georgias population has grown in the past few years, particularly in Democratic-leaning areas, the Republicans who control state elections have cut the number of polling places statewide by 10 percent. The New Georgia Project, Black Voters Matter and Rise Inc. say the law violates the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, as well as parts of the federal Voting Rights Act that say states cannot restrict Black voter participation. But, as we said, even a poll officer cannot hand drinks to people waiting in line which was Bidens point. The final bill allows two days of early Sunday voting, which is now formally signed into law. Webnonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Minnesota. Sign up to receive our newsletter each Friday. What is Georgia's new voting law? The free giveaways became an issue prior to theJan. 5 runoff electionsfor Georgias two U.S. Senate seats. (Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle via AP, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Georgia had already outlawed campaigns or other groups from distributing or displaying any campaign material within 150 feet of a polling place or within 25 feet of any voters standing in line for a polling site, and the new law now bans giving voters any gifts, "including but not limited to, food and drink.". There are counties people are saying we are taking something away with drop boxes. The county registrar's offices or the Georgia Department of Driver Services can issue free state ID cards. In an April 1 press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged that the law provided options to expand the hours but said the law standardized it at five., Some experts told CNN that the language in the law could cause confusion on what hours are permitted on weekdays. Georgia Gov. Georgia is one of more than 40 states in which Republicans are pushing for a tightening of rules around voting, mainly targeting those who do not vote on the day at polling stations. President Biden said this was an "un-American law to deny people the right to vote", Drop boxes are deployed so people can place their absentee votes in them, Why can it be so hard to vote in Georgia? The New York Times estimated that the laws provisions would give the four counties in metropolitan Atlanta 23 drop boxes, while those counties had 94 available in the 2020 election. The greatest area of concern here for Democrats is Fulton County, home to Atlanta and a disproportionate number of Black voters. But influential Democrat Stacey Abrams, who helped mobilise the black vote in Georgia, shared Mr Biden's view: "Suppression is the lazy man's way of winning an election. A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center, , a professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, and author of , Biden, Buttigieg Exaggerate Projected Job Gains in Infrastructure Plan, MLB All-Star Lineup: Colorado vs. Georgia, Biden wrongly claimedthe new Georgia law would close a polling place at 5 oclock when working people just get off.. Kemp signs controversial voting bill, lawmaker arrested. The election law has sparked a backlash from Democratic officials and activists, not least of whom is President Biden, who called the legislation "Jim Crow in the 21st century.". Democrats say the new law aims to restrict voting in future elections, but Republicans who control the state's government say it expands access and increases election security. Its Jim Crow in a suit and tie, writes Stacey Abrams, a voting rights advocate and the 2018 Democratic candidate for governor in Georgia. / CBS News. SB 202 imposes voter identification requirements for absentee ballots, empowers state officials to take over local elections boards, limits the use of ballot drop boxes and makes it a crime to approach voters in line to give them food and water. The new law restricts buses and "other readily movable" facilities to emergency use only. GOP state lawmakers who backed the bill and other Republicans nationwide harshly criticized the backlash, calling forboycotts of brands like Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines. No new voters could be registered in the period before a runoff because the registration deadline would be the day before the earlier election. Section 2 - Purpose: _____ Lake Association is organized exclusively for charitable, scientific, and education purposes. Georgia Gov. Mr Trump issued a statement after the Georgia move, saying: "They learned from the travesty of the 2020 presidential election, which can never be allowed to happen again. Voxs mission is to help everyone understand our weird, wonderful, complicated world, so that we can all help shape it. There are currently 253 similar bills in 43 states, according to the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice think tank. But it's not the case that voting has to finish at 5pm. Three groups filed a lawsuit late Thursday to try to block the law. This kind of democratic backsliding, where an established political party works to degrade the fairness and quality of the electoral system, is not unique internationally. "Georgia will take another step toward ensuring our elections are secure, accessible and fair," Mr Kemp told reporters while signing it. Overall, 17,697 provisional ballots were cast in the 2020 general election and 11,781 were accepted. Counties must operate early voting from at least 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., but can offer it from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. if they choose to offer expanded hours. Too bad these changes could not have been done sooner!". The system came under scrutiny from Republicans after Sens. Webnonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Minnesota. Republicans point to this provision to argue they are actually expanding, rather than restricting, voting access. Democrats say shortening the period for run-off elections from nine weeks to four is an attempt to suppress votes, after an energised voter base in Georgia sent two Democrats to the US Senate this year - giving the party effective control of the upper chamber. Republicans say giving food or water to voters in line is a method of soliciting votes. Previously, voters could request a ballot 180 days out from an election. Observers were quick to note that in 2020, many voters had to wait in hours-long lines to vote, especially in heavily Black areas. The sweeping rewrite of Georgia's election rules that was signed into law by Republican Gov. The governor said that the availability of drop boxes was now for the first time ever codified in the law, and its true drop boxes for absentee ballots werent part of the old law. Will you become one of them? An additional day of mandatory Saturday early voting has also been added. Violations can be punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Calia Z. Bynum, 24, of St. To be clear, the current Georgia system is nowhere near as restrictive as the way things worked in the pre-civil rights South. Those responsible for designating poll watchers must attest to their training under oath. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. CBS News didn't project a winner in the presidential race in Georgia until 10 days after Election Day, partly because it took counties so long to count the massive influx of mail ballots. The boxes are only accessible during advanced voting. Georgia has now joined Iowa in passing some form of overhaul to voting rules. State lawmakers in Georgia overhauled its existing election protocol last month with the passage of a law that includes restrictionssome activists say haven't been seen since the Jim Crow era. Sunday voting is especially important for black worshippers in Georgia - a strongly Democratic voting bloc - with church goers often encouraged to vote after Sunday services, with initiatives known as "souls to the polls". A voter can bring food. We cant rely on ads alone to do that. CNN . Georgias new, 98-page law makes numerous changes to how elections will be administered, including a new photo ID requirement for voting absentee by mail. There will be fewer in forthcoming elections, but this needs to be put in context. Under the new law, election workers will not be able to stop counting ballots once they've started, so that they can produce faster results. The new law also means the boxes will be held in buildings and can only be accessed in the hours that early voting is allowed, rather than 24 hours a day as was the case in 2020. Although there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the last presidential election, many Republican voters have supported ex-President Donald Trump's unfounded allegations of voting irregularities. The Democrats say it is an attempt to target social and ethnic groups who are more likely to vote for them, reducing the surge in votes from those groups in the last election. If youre one foot over that boundary, you can set up a table and hand out water, pizza, or whatever else you want. We shouldnt have to live like this. First published on April 7, 2021 / 12:33 PM. The old law required one. At hispress briefing, the governor claimed that Biden is factually wrong. Kemp is wrong about Bidens remarks. In Iowa, the G.O.P. [A]llowing at least one box per county helps in smaller counties with no drop boxes before, he said, but the law also causes a drastic cutback in the number of boxes allowed in larger counties, for no good reason.. Under ranked choice voting rules, its not enough to just get the most votes. Oops. While the changes to election administration are the most troubling provisions in SB 202, they are far from the only significant changes to the states laws. Georgia is the only state in the nation that mandates runoff elections between the top two finishers following general elections in which no candidate achieves a majority. But Kemp and other Republicans say theharsh response shows that critics have not actually read the law. The law bans people aside from poll workers from soliciting votes or signatures from voters. Republican supporters say the law is needed to restore confidence in Georgias elections. In the event of a missed deadline, the State Election Board may convene to conduct an independent review. Federal agencies and experts say there is no link to offshore wind activities, although they continue to study the potential risks. For runoff elections, voting began as soon as possible before election day. Republican legislators at the state level are pushing legislation thats designed both to appeal to these voters and to cement their own power. Like some other states, Georgia also mandates runoffs for candidates who do not win a majority in a party primary. Brian Kemp Thursday, March 25, 2021, represents the first big set of changes since former President Donald Trump's repeated, baseless claims of fraud following his presidential loss to Joe Biden. Georgia law explicitly states that Any person who gives or receives, offers to give or receive, or participates in the giving or receiving of money or gifts for the purpose of registering as a voter, voting, or voting for a particular candidate in any primary or election shall be guilty of a felony, Raffenspergers bulletin warned. One attention-grabbing section prohibits the giving of any money or gifts, including, but not limited to, food and drink, to an electorwithin 25 feet of any voter standing in line to vote at any polling place. In effect, this means that it is now illegal in Georgia to provide food and water to people waiting in line to vote. The language about permitting advanced voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. comes after a description of weekend voting and a stipulation that the optional Sunday voting hours should be no longer than 7:00 A.M. through 7:00 P.M. But Kemps press secretary told CNN weekday voting is allowed in that 7-to-7 time frame. The new law prohibits the chair from actively participating in a political party or organization, donating to a political campaign, or running for public office during his or her service and in the two years preceding the term as chair. Though official investigations, court cases, and independent fact-checks found no evidence of such fraud in the video or otherwise the myth that it happened persists. The intention may be to prevent special interest groups from delivering food and water to people waiting in line as a means to influence voters. Each week, we explore unique solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. Please consider a donation. Democrats say it will restrict voting access, especially for voters of color. , 2021 / 12:33 PM and a $ 1,000 fine be punishable by to... Thursday to try to block the law early Sunday voting, which is formally... Has to finish at 5pm the law is needed to restore confidence in Georgias elections day of mandatory early! 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