Georgia on our minds

It’s not every day that a legislative package in a state capitol captures the nation’s attention, but that is what has happened with the new voting law passed by Georgia state Republicans in March.

Voting is the bedrock of our democracy, and the Georgia situation is worth examining more closely because it mirrors larger questions about how voting should be done around the country. Those questions are more important now than ever after an extraordinary election cycle — held during a pandemic — resulted in baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud.

Unfortunately, early versions of the Georgia legislation and countless interpretations have muddied the water so that many Americans don’t have a clear picture of the new law itself. In fact, the legislation does expand some aspects of voting, while also restricting others.

THE CASE

How the law can help

In their own words, the lawmakers who wrote the Georgia legislation did so to "to address the lack of elector confidence in the election system on all sides of the political spectrum, to reduce the burden on election officials, and to streamline the process of conducting elections in Georgia by promoting uniformity in voting."

Some of the provisions could help, like allowing election officials to begin scanning absentee ballots early. The law expands the number of required weekend early voting days, an increase in many counties, including two Saturday voting days and two optional Sunday ones. This is different from an earlier proposal that would have limited Sunday voting, an unfair idea given the practice of Black churches getting out the vote on Sundays. The state's Attorney General has the authority to establish a hotline for "complaints and allegations of voter intimidation and illegal election activities."

THE COUNTER

What worries opponents

Civil rights and civil liberties groups worry about many aspects of the legislation, however.

There is a shorter window to request absentee ballots, which could be a more crucial way to vote in the future. The legislation officially established drop boxes to collect ballots, which had been allowed last political cycle by pandemic emergency rules. Unfortunately, the number of the boxes is limited, and in normal circumstances they can only be placed at certain official sites. The devices are less useful if they aren’t easily accessible and spread around to save voters a trip.

The law mandates strict identification requirements in order to vote by mail, and forbids giving food or drinks to voters within or lining up for a polling place. Perhaps most crucially and disturbingly, the legislation shifts an undue amount of election oversight power to the state elections board and away from county ones, with the state board empowered to suspend county election officials for malfeasance or other issues. That seems neutral but could allow Republicans to interfere in operations in Democratic-run counties for political gain.

THE CONTEXT

Why MLB cried foul

While Georgia Republicans highlighted concern about "rampant voter fraud" in the findings section of the legislation, it’s important to remember that widespread fraud — in particular, the kind that has any chance of turning an election — is exceptionally rare. One tracking of cases around the country by Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor, found 31 voter impersonation incidents between 2000 and 2014, out of more than 1 billion votes cast.

Georgia Republicans pushed for this legislation in the wake of President Donald Trump losing the state, and Georgia’s U.S. Senate delegation flipping blue in a runoff. The rush to do so mere months into 2021 makes the motivation suspect. Voting changes that could restrict access are particularly noxious in Southern states with a history of disenfranchising Black voters for political purposes.

This is the background against which Major League Baseball pulled its summer All-Star Game from suburban Atlanta to demonstrate its opposition. The decision was most punitive to businesses, workers and fans of baseball in the metropolitan area around Atlanta, a largely African American and Democratic city, and sparked criticisms of the league for tangling with politics. Of course, it was a particularly symbolic All-Star location this time around given that Atlanta was home to the late Braves legend Hank Aaron, who endured racist mail and taunts throughout his home-run-hitting career.

OUR TAKE

Voting should be easy

We don’t know exactly what effect Georgia’s new voting rules will have; attempts to increase ballot access don’t always create big turnout gains, and there are some examples in which attacking the rights of minority voters can sometimes cause a strong voter turnout counter-response. Both parties are hypocritical about the role of business in politics, regarding corporate money and political stances. What is clear: Voting should be as accessible as possible.

We must do everything possible to modernize and protect our voting infrastructure, upon which the rest of the American experiment depends.

That means more early voting and other ways to encourage all voters to cast ballots. That means not putting a partisan thumb on the scale to help one party or another. It means doing everything possible to modernize and protect our voting infrastructure, upon which the rest of the American experiment depends.