By Phyllis Richardson
Last November, despite a global pandemic, voter intimidation, and an unprecedented disinformation campaign, a record number of Americans cast a ballot in the 2020 election.
Expanded voting by mail, no-excuse absentee voting, curbside voting, and early voting made the ballot box more accessible. But now, Republican lawmakers in 43 states are introducing hundreds of restrictive “voting rights” bills to roll back these measures.
In my home state of Georgia, Republicans have introduced a package of restrictive bills to increase red tape, roll back voting rights, and silence the voices of millions of voters. These attacks are unmistakably in response to the state’s record voter turnout to elect President Joe Biden and Senators Rafael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
The 11 bills in Georgia are grounded in baseless and racist claims of election irregularities. They aim to silence the voices of voters of color, young people, and older voters by directly repealing the measures that made last election cycle the most inclusive ever.
Experts put it bluntly: Georgia’s current efforts to restrict voting access are “the most sustained effort” to silence voters “since the Jim Crow era.”
Just like during Jim Crow, Georgia is taking special aim at Black voters, who overcame decades of draconian voting measures to demonstrate their power at the ballot box last November.
GOP lawmakers have proposed a ban on Sunday early voting, for example — a direct attack on “souls to the polls” events, which usher congregations of primarily Black churches to polling places after services. They’re even trying to prohibit giving food and water to people waiting in line to vote, even after many Black voters were forced to wait in 10 or 11 hour lines in the last election.
Even if you don’t live in Georgia, these unprecedented assaults on voting rights are most likely happening in your state, too.
As of March, the Brennan Center calculated that GOP lawmakers had introduced 253 such bills in 43 states. Many of these bills resemble Georgia’s proposals — enacting even stricter voter ID requirements, slashing voter registration opportunities, and limiting vote by mail. Others go even further by enabling aggressive voter roll purging or even overturning election results altogether.
No matter who they voted for, an overwhelming majority of Americans support pro-voter policies — including expanding early voting, enacting online and automatic voter registration, allowing universal absentee voting, and including a pre-paid postage stamp on mail-in ballots. The majority of us agree that we need to improve our elections to ensure secure, accurate voting for every eligible resident in every state.
Throughout our nation’s history, we’ve fought to expand voting access to all eligible residents, but a handful of politicians want to erase this legacy. To move forward together, we must ensure that every eligible American has the freedom to cast a ballot and have it counted accurately so that the outcomes of our elections reflect the will of the people.
To start, we must reject state-level anti-voter policies and pass common sense federal legislation like the For the People Act (HR1) and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act (HR4), which will not only restore the voter protections laid out in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 but strengthen those protections and and our democracy.
By expanding access to voting, we can ensure that our elected officials are accountable for delivering real solutions to the people. Tell your senators: Fix our broken democracy and pass the “For The People Act.”
Phyllis Richardson is the ExCom At-Large volunteer leader at the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter and the Governmental Affairs Director at Georgia WAND, a woman of color-led organization for social justice.
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Henny says
You can’t really believe that… it should only be same day with requested early ballots only. Grown up way to run an election
Steve says
Its all going to backfire. Think about it. Afew more Elections We can clean House on both sides. This is based on BS arguments. The most secure largest Election in History. GOP stands to lose Alot coming up. VOTE Accordingly.
Mythoughts says
If it were up to the Republicans the only ones they would allow to vote is registered Republicans. They are trying so hard to prevent those they feel aren’t going to vote for them not to be able to vote.
It is down out discrimination and they have no right to think they can get away with this no matter hard they try.
A Republican Senator in Mississippi thinks it should be against the law to vote on Sundays, I guess she feel Republicans don’t vote on Sundays.
It is obvious they have realized those permitted to vote don’t always want them in office. In case of them trying to figure out why that is and change their policies they are going to instead try to prevent some to vote.
It is discrimination and down out cheating.
The Voice Of Reason says
republicanism is dying. A deeply flawed party. Win at any cost. (racism, trump, voter suppression, perverting christian values). Absolutely shameless. Church congregations torn apart by the clash of decency and wacky conspiracy theories. Poor pastors stuck in the middle. I see organized religion dying quickly. What would Jesus do? Run for the hills away from most churches.
Steve says
Agree. Great comment. If their Agenda didnt stink or they had one GOP wouldnt have to try and suppress folks Votes.When it comes to Religion its all about Hypocrisy. Cruz and the others look foolish
deb says
Now if they can get voter ID’s like they have in Mexico, Egypt , Iran and most of the other countries the required documents [to enable people to vote] must either be a valid digital passport, a valid ID card or an invalid ID card which bears an valid identification number. In Argentina, Chile, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands and elsewhere, such registration is automatic, most countries require an ID.
Richard says
I would have voted for the dyed purple thumb, but the Democrats objected that thumbs would have been too hard to harvest.
GR says
One has to provide I.D. to buy tobacco, alcohol, decongestants, prescriptions, see a doctor or dentist, buy or rent a car, apartment or a house, get cable or a phone or apply/receive any kind of public assistance. WHY IS THIS SO EFFING DIFFICULT for the left’s base to accomplish?
Kjell says
Voting is a privilege as well as a civic duty incumbent on the citizenry, not a right. Certainly not a “universal human right” as I’ve heard and read it called elsewhere.
Making it “more accessible” is precisely what should NOT be done.
amazed says
Instead of a totally one-sided article, can you give us an enumerated list of the actual changes made? Not propaganda about no food or water in 10 hour lines.
1.) you need a photo ID to vote
2.) ok….your turn to finish