BREAKING: Kemp Signs GOP Voting Bill
Kemp's signature caps a months-long debate over voting rights after the 2020 election
Hours after it passed the Georgia Legislature on party-line votes, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced on Thursday evening that he had signed a sweeping election bill into law.
S.B. 202, which was authored and sponsored by Republican lawmakers, would make major changes to Georgia’s election laws. The nearly 100-page bill would limit access to dropboxes, require photo identification for absentee ballots and give the GOP-controlled state election board the power to take over county election offices.
It would halve the length of runoff campaigns, shortening the timespan between the general election and the runoff from nine weeks to four weeks. Early voting during runoff elections will also now be limited to a minimum of one week as a result.
The bill also punishes those who give out food and water to those standing in long lines at polling places and removes the Secretary of State as chairman of the state election board.
Support
After the 2020 election, Republicans immediately began proposing different changes to the state’s election laws. A group of Republican State Senators even applauded a longshot lawsuit filed by the Texas Attorney General that would have overturned the results in key states that voted for President Joe Biden, including Georgia. The lawsuit was dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Some of the initial proposals were taken out of the bill after criticism, including a ban on no-excuse absentee voting and ending early voting on Sundays, when most churchgoers travel to the polls on vans and buses.
Republican authors of the bill say that the changes are necessary in order to boost confidence in the state’s election processes. State Sen. Max Burns (R-Sylvania), one of the bill’s lead sponsors, said on Thursday that shortening the runoff period would ease the burden on election officials. State Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem), the author of the House version, argued that the bill will “greatly expand” access to the ballot box.
In a Fox News interview on Thursday, Gov. Kemp said that contrary to arguments from opponents, the bill will expand the right to vote, not restrict it. He said that he is fully prepared for threats of boycotts and lawsuits.
Opposition
Democrats have been vocal in their opposition to these voting bills. They have argued that the Republican majority is trying to change the rules following back-to-back statewide losses in the presidential election and the January U.S. Senate runoffs. Some have even gone as far as calling the bill “Jim Crow 2.0.”
President Joe Biden said in his first solo press conference on Thursday that he will do everything in his power to stop attempts to limit access to the right to vote, and called bills such as this one “un-American.” He also said that he has heard from Republican voters who are opposed to these types of bills.
State Sen. Jen Jordan (D-Atlanta) called the bill a “Christmas tree of goodies” for voter suppression. State Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta) said that while there is no evidence that 2020 election was stolen, the Republican-led efforts to limit access to voting is an attempt to steal future elections.
Tension boiled over in the Capitol when state troopers detained State Rep. Park Cannon (D-Atlanta) as she attempted to enter the Governor’s office while he was signing the bill. Officers forcibly dragged Cannon off of the premises.
This is not the first time a Democratic lawmaker has been arrested during an election protest. Shortly after the 2018 gubernatorial election, then-State Sen. and now-Congresswoman Nikema Williams was arrested as she took part in a voting rights protest during a special session of the General Assembly. The case against her was ultimately dismissed.
What’s next?
Election lawyers have promised to file lawsuits if Gov. Kemp signed the bill into law. Marc Elias, the founder of Democracy Docket, has told his Twitter followers to bookmark a webpage that lists active litigation filed by his organization.
The bill is also set to play a major role in the 2022 campaign, when Gov. Kemp is expected to not only face a competitive race for re-election, but a competitive battle for the Republican nomination. His refusals to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia have angered former President Donald Trump and many in his inner circle. It remains to be seen if signing this bill will put him back in the former President’s good graces, but Democrats will surely be using it against him next year.
UPDATE: Cannon has been charged with a felony count of disrupting General Assembly sessions and obstruction of law enforcement. She has been released from the Union City jail on bond.