February, 25 2021, 11:00pm EDT
Behind Closed Doors, Georgia's Legislature is Rushing to Dismantle Voting Rights
All Voting is Local Georgia State Director Aklima Khondoker issued the following statement in response to the Georgia legislature's covert and hurried process to hear approximately 50 anti-voter bills without a proper public hearing or comment period:
"Shame on the Georgia Legislature for silently, yet forcefully, moving through approximately 50 anti-voter bills without adequate public input and review. The sheer number of,--and oppressive voting restrictions within--these bills make it clear that this session is a taxpayer-funded assault on the right to vote.
WASHINGTON
All Voting is Local Georgia State Director Aklima Khondoker issued the following statement in response to the Georgia legislature's covert and hurried process to hear approximately 50 anti-voter bills without a proper public hearing or comment period:
"Shame on the Georgia Legislature for silently, yet forcefully, moving through approximately 50 anti-voter bills without adequate public input and review. The sheer number of,--and oppressive voting restrictions within--these bills make it clear that this session is a taxpayer-funded assault on the right to vote.
"Furthermore, these bills contain unfunded mandates that could cost counties thousands, if not millions, of dollars to implement. At a time when most Georgia counties are still reeling from COVID's devastation on our local economies, our counties don't need costly regulations that limit voter access.
"Georgia's legislature is needlessly considering bills that pose problems where solutions already exist. If anything, they should take this moment to reassess our processes and procedures to ensure voters have more ballot access--not less. The legislature must reject these bills and fix existing infrastructure problems that make voting inaccessible for Georgians."
Background:
Despite zero evidence of voting irregularities or abnormalities, the Georgia legislature entered the 2021 session determined to push bills that restrict the most popular voting methods employed in the 2020 election cycle, namely early voting, voting by mail, and returning ballots via drop boxes.
The legislature's proposed bills are threatening to:
- Place undue restrictions on weekend voting, virtually eliminating Sunday's "souls to the polls."
- Ban government agencies from sending ballot applications to voters.
- Severely limit access to vote by mail by requiring specific reasons or limitations to be eligible for a mailed ballot.
- Forces voters to submit a copy of their photo IDs or a driver's license or state ID number to vote absentee.
- Limit ballot drop box availability, making them only accessible inside early voting locations and during early voting hours.
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