Tag: Georgia voter suppression law

Georgia officer who arrested lawmaker compares her to Capitol insurrectionists

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The Georgia police officer at the center of State Rep. Park Cannon’s (D-Ga.) highly publicized and controversial arrest claims he took action because he feared the possibility of an insurrection-style incident similar to what unfolded at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. However, many are pushing back against his claims while highlighting the stark differences between the two incidents. 

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, an incident report written by Lt. G.D Langford recalled the moments leading up to Cannon’s arrest.Lt. G.D Langford recalled the moments leading up to Cannon’s arrest. In the report, he wrote, “The events of January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol were in the back of my mind.”

Langford claimed he concerned when a group of protesters assembled in the lobby outside of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R) office and “began to get louder as she was refusing to follow my commands.” He said, “I didn’t want the protestors to attempt to gain entry into a secure part of the Capitol.” Continue reading.

Delta faces boycott threats for stance on new Georgia voting law

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Social media users said they would no longer give the airline their business

Georgia’s new voting law, which puts barriers in place for absentee and mail-in voting and makes it illegal for third-party groups to hand out food and water to voters in line, has earned widespread criticism from Democrats and voting rights advocates. President Biden called it “Jim Crow in the 21st Century.”

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, on the other hand, put out a statementon Friday saying the bill — which was signed into law Thursday night — had “improved considerably during the legislative process” and noted some elements for praise.

That statement from CEO Ed Bastian has prompted a #BoycottDelta trend on social media. Continue reading.

Companies sidestep self-imposed bans on GOP donations

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Major corporations are finding ways to sidestep their pledges from January to withhold campaign contributions for GOP lawmakers who objected to the 2020 presidential election results.

Dozens of companies said after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol that they would stop donating to the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the results, but recent financial disclosures show some are now making direct contributions to the House and Senate GOP campaign arms that dole out funds to those same lawmakers.

Tech giant Intel Corp., for example, contributed $15,000 from its political action committee (PAC) to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) last month. Continue reading.

Election expert pinpoints ‘the most sinister’ part of Georgia’s voting law that’s flying under the radar

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Georgia’s new voter suppression bill, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday, has been slammed by its critics for the many ways in which it will make voting more difficult in the Peach State. But journalist Ari Berman, during a Thursday night appearance on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” zeroed in on what he considers the most disturbing part of the law: the fact that it gives Republican state officials in Georgia the power to take control of local election operations.

Maddow asked Berman, “If this law had been in place in Georgia in November 2020, when Trump came in and leaned on Georgia Republicans…. and said, ‘I need to have won Georgia — can you make that happen?’…. would they have been able to use Georgia law? Would they have been able to do it — do what Trump demanded, if this law had been in place?”

Berman responded, “Yes, if this law had been in place, Donald Trump absolutely might have succeeded in overturning the election in Georgia because his biggest Republican critic in Georgia was the secretary of state, (Brad Raffensperger)…. If the Republican legislature in Georgia had wanted to overturn the will of the voters, they could have done that through control of the State Board of Elections and through leaning on county board of elections. And this is why they have made this such a big part of the bill.” Continue reading.

Democrats see Georgia as opening salvo in war on voting rights

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Republican state legislators engaged in a nationwide effort to rewrite ballot access laws after the highest-turnout, most secure election in history scored their first major achievement Thursday when Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed a sweeping overhaul package into law that will restrict voter access to absentee ballots and ballot drop boxes.

In other states, Democrats watched with rising anxiety, knowing their legislatures are next.

“We’ve been watching Georgia pretty closely, and we knew our legislative Republicans were likely to introduce something as well,” said Michigan state Sen. Stephanie Chang (D), who represents part of Detroit and its southern suburbs. Continue reading.

Five big takeaways on Georgia’s new election law

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed a sweeping voting bill into law on Thursday, making Georgia the first battleground state to enact major changes to its election laws after last year’s tumultuous election.

The GOP effort comes after a disastrous few months for Republicans in the state that included President Biden’s victory in the November general election and Democratic wins in two January Senate runoffs.

The law rewrites large sections of the state’s election laws and seeks to tighten voting procedures in ways that Democrats and voting rights advocates say will curtail voting access and disenfranchise voters across the state. Continue reading.