Georgia elections laws and the blame game.

What’s going on with Georgia’s new election law?  Democrats argue that it amounts to voter suppression, while Republicans claim it makes voting easier and more secure, and restores confidence in Georgia’s elections.

I think the most important question is why now? Why was this law so important that it had to be done right AFTER the election, and not last year, or 4 years ago? The timing of this new law says more than the sum total of its words.

I decided to break it down and look at the new law in an attempt to find the truth, using the Republicans’ claims as my yardstick.    

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Here are the most significant changes to voting in the state Georgia, as written into the new law:

·       Time to request absentee ballots.  Not earlier than 78 days or less than 11 days primary to election.  It was 180 days. NET RESULT: Who knows? What did this accomplish and why was it done? How did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       ID requirements for absentee ballots.  Provide Name, DOB, address and DL# or ID#, OR last 4 digits of SS#. Opponents say this disproportionately affects minority voters, because they may fail to fill out the form properly. Opponents say that up to 25% of blacks in poor urban areas actually have no government issued ID. NET RESULT: How did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       Mailing of absentee ballots: Elector or his/her authorized relative must request. Last year, during the pandemic hit last year, Georgia’s secretary of state, mailed absentee ballot applications to every registered voter in the state ahead of its June primary election. This led to absentee voting by record numbers of Georgians. What could possibly be wrong with mailing ballot applications to every registered voter? Clearly, this was intended to take advantage of people who will not know to request a ballot in advance. NET RESULT: Restricts the voting process; potentially fewer voters. What did this accomplish and why was it done? How did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       Drop boxes:   Drop boxes are not open until and unless advance voting is conducted at that location and are only open during business hours.  The number of boxes has been reduced from 94 to approximately 23. Opponents say this is unfair as it forces voters to return ballots by mail. If the intent is to make voting easier, it seems the number should be increased, not decreased. Why not leave them outdoors, as they were, and open 24 hours? There was no evidence that 24 hour outdoor boxes were a problem, so why the change? NET RESULT: Restricts the voting process; potentially fewer voters. What did this accomplish and why was it done? How did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       Mobile voting centers (RVs) are no more, unless the Governor declares a State of Emergency; NET RESULT: Potentially fewer voters. What did this accomplish and why was it done? How did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       Early voting is expanded in a lot of small counties, but not in more populous ones; with no requirement to open on Sundays.   Opponents say this is unfair to black voters who often vote after Sunday services because of organized voter drives at those black churches. Why was Sunday voting curtailed? There were no problems with fraud on Sundays. NET RESULT: Restricts the voting process; potentially fewer voters. What did this accomplish and why was it done? How did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       Offering food or water to voters waiting in line is not allowed.  In the last election it was reported that some voters waited more than 6 hours to vote; Opponents say this is unfair to black voters who live in more densely populated urban areas, and who may not be willing to wait in lines. The U.S. Census and recent studies show that black voters are more likely to cast their votes in person on election day, and are reluctant to vote by mail. Nothing would prevent voters from using existing water fountains (If there are any) or bringing their own food and water. NET RESULT: Lines are longer in urban areas which are typically in majority black precincts. How did this provision expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       If you go to the wrong polling place, you will need to sign a sworn statement giving reason for voting at wrong place; said votes will not be counted unless they are cast after 5 p.m. and before the close of the polling place. Anyone who arrives before 5 p.m. will be required to go to the correct polling place instead. Sometimes the closest polling place to your home is not the correct polling place. NET RESULT: Often times the proper voting location is not the closest one. How did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       Polling locations will close at 9pm unless extended by a Superior court judge.  If, for any reason, ballots are unable to be cast, opening hours will be extended only for the amount of time the system was “off line”.  Before this, a judge could arbitrarily decide how much longer the polls would remain open; NET RESULT: Doesn’t seem to be a problem.

·       In high turnout elections, absentee ballots will not be counted until after the polls close, so there may be a longer wait for results . NET RESULT: This was the problem in the last election which fueled the conspiracy theories of a rigged election. Mr. Trump was leading in the polls until the absentee vote was counted prompting Republicans to claim the vote was rigged. Perhaps it would be better to count the absentee ballots first, and release those results as soon as the polls close. Regardless, how did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       Election jurisdictions may not accept money from any source other than governing authority of municipal, county, State or federal governments.  In the past private organizations could help pay counties for election costs. NET RESULT: Unknown, but how did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       Only the State Attorney General may establish and maintain a telephone hotline for complaints and allegations of voter intimidation or other illegal election activities.  Previously this was done by a web of county elections officials and the Secretary of State. NET RESULT: Unknown, but how did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       The Secretary of State is removed as a voting member of the State Election Board. NET RESULT: Smaks of payback for SoS not supporting Trump’s request to “find” votes. What did this accomplish and why was it done? How did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

·       The State Election Board may suspend county or municipal superintendents and appoint an individual to serve as temporary superintendent. In the past, most of the work administering elections in Georgia was handled by the state's 159 counties. The law gives the State Election Board new powers to intervene and to remove and replace local election officials, allowing the Republican-controlled state board to exert more influence over the administration of elections and the certification of results. NET RESULT: Unknown, but how did this expand voter access to the polls, make voting more secure or restore confidence in Georgia’s elections?

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Everyone knows that Mr. Trump’s loss was the reason for the push to suddenly change the laws in Georgia and other traditionally red states. Republicans say it was needed because of widespread election fraud in the 2020 elections, despite the fact that to this day, there is absolutely no evidence of any kind of significant election fraud. They argued that people had lost faith in the electoral process, but it was the Republicans alone who force-fed the American people a steady diet of claims of election fraud, causing that loss of faith. The Republicans passed this law because they didn’t like losing in the last election and they want to make it harder to lose in the next. It’s as simple as that.

Mr. Trump and the Republicans started planting the seeds for this toxic lie months before the election, claiming that if Trump won, the election would be fair and if he lost it was prima facie evidence of a rigged election. Like Johnny Appleseed walking the countryside spreading lies about the election, they deliberately sowed the seeds of discontent and suspicion. The lies about the election were told so fervently and so often that many Republicans now believe it. If there was a loss of faith in our electoral process, it was caused by the Republicans, and the Republicans alone.

Not one of the changes in this new law makes it easier for people, black or white, to vote, or expands voter access to the polls. Georgia and the American South have a long history of machinations designed to keep blacks from voting, and this looks suspiciously like more of the same.

Reactions from corporate America have been swift and more strident than the Georgia politicians expected. Many large corporations are openly objecting to the new law by word and deed, canceling events and issuing statements of condemnation.

Republicans across the country are vowing to get even; arguing that any objection to the law is an attempt to “mislead and bully the American people”. Republicans are coordinating swift retribution for any company that spoke or acted out against this new law. Delta Airlines is facing the loss of a $35 million jet fuel tax benefit after the state House voted to rescind it. A group of Republican state legislators sent a letter to Coca-Cola that they would no longer stock Coke products in their offices. Republicans are moving to support a move to draft legislation to strip Major League Baseball of its antitrust exemption for moving the All Star Game away from Atlanta.

Former President Trump called for a boycott against Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, JPMorgan Chase, ViacomCBS, Citigroup, Cisco, UPS and Merck. Then he accused Democrats of trying to “boycott and scare companies into submission,” which is truly bizarre after calling for boycotts of the nine listed companies. It seems that when individuals or corporate America object to something the Republicans do, they are guilty of bullying and adopting cancel culture, but when Republicans do the same to the Democrats, they are fighting the good fight; working tirelessly, making good choices and helping others. Any independent person watching from the sidelines would recognize the same behavior by both teams.

Today, MItch McConnell argued that the new law would expand, not restrict, voter access to the polls, and his statement included a threat of unspecified “serious consequences” if companies continue to oppose Republicans on this issue. “Corporations will invite serious consequences if they become a vehicle for far-left mobs to hijack our country from outside the constitutional order.”

Republicans have long identified as the political party of Wall Street and corporate America. This new attack by Republicans against these large corporations seems to be a case of biting the hand that feeds you. A risky strategy at best. They lost the Presidency and control of the U.S. Senate when a number of traditionally red states turned blue. Continuing on this dangerous course will only lead to more of the same.

Unfortunately for the Republicans, this new law was nothing more than a solution to a problem which did not exist. It has now backfired, and they’re scrambling to divert blame, cry foul, and play the victim. The same game plan was used by their revered leader for the last four years. Can’t they see it wasn’t a winning strategy then and it won’t be now? In 2016, American voters elected Trump because they didn’t want Hillary Clinton for President. In 2020 the process was repeated when Trump was defeated. The voters didn’t really want Joe Biden, but they didn’t want Donald Trump more. Biden didn’t win; Trump lost.

Republicans are feeling the consequences for their actions, and are crying “cancel culture” to frame themselves as victims , even though they put themselves in this position. “Consequence culture” is more accurate. They’re wringing their hands, crying and complaining in the hope that everyone will forget they lied about a stolen election, and now they’ve passed a law to “fix” problems they created with that lie.

Republicans have become radicalized to the point they actually attacked our Capitol; now they’re attacking Baseball and Coca Cola. Who decided it was a good political strategy to attack these beloved political, national and cultural institutions? Are they going to attack fried chicken, potato salad, Mom, the flag and apple pie next?

The Republicans are reaping what they sowed, and they’re not happy with the harvest. “They have sown the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind.”