ATLANTA — Last night, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed S.B. 202 into law, the latest power grab designed to make it harder to vote in order to boost Republicans’ electoral prospects.
S.B. 202 is a greatest hits compilation of voter suppression tactics: Restricting the use of drop boxes, requiring IDs for absentee ballots, giving lawmakers the power to take over local elections boards, and even making it a crime to give food or water to voters waiting in line to vote. Georgia is one of 43 states where Republican legislatures have introduced more than 250 Jim Crow-inspired bills to suppress votes.
In response, Jessica Morehead, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Director, issued the following statement:
“This is a dark chapter in Georgia’s history and another example of the Georgia Republican Party’s attempts to disenfranchise voters of color straight from the Jim Crow playbook. After millions of Georgia voters turned out to vote in November and January, Georgia Republicans wasted no time in imposing restrictions to make it harder for people to exercise their right to vote, particularly people of color, disabled people, and young people. And when State Representative Park Cannon tried to watch Gov. Kemp sign S.B. 202 into law, she was dragged away and sent to jail.
“We must call this what it is. This new law is about voter suppression. It’s about trying to stop Black and Brown people from voting. Georgia faces a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic with vaccination rates among the lowest in the country, economic struggles and job losses that may take years to recover from, extreme weather events that are becoming more and more common, and a rise in hate crimes and gun violence. And yet, Georgia Republicans chose to waste this legislative session by focusing on nonexistent voter fraud as a pretext to suppress the votes of communities of color.
“This isn't only happening in Georgia — it's happening in states across the country. This is a deliberate attempt to dismantle our democracy bit by bit. We must organize and fight harder than ever before. The health of our nation depends on it. We call on Congress to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to help restore voting rights for Georgians and for all Americans.”
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About the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter
The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter is the largest grassroots environmental organization in the state, with more than 75,000 members and supporters. The Chapter supports a robust outings program and has active committees working on forest and coastal protection, transit expansion, and clean energy. For more information, visit sierraclub.org/georgia.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit sierraclub.org.