Thread by @DemocracyDocket

ICYMI: @NewGAProject, @BlackVotersMtr and @RiseFreeOrg have filed a lawsuit challenging Georgia voter suppression bill #SB202.

Here are the 9 provisions they’re challenging in the suit… 🧵

1. Requiring photo ID submission with a VBM request. This rule will harm elderly, poor & minority voters the most since they’re the LEAST likely to have ID. Studies have shown that 25% of Black voters do NOT currently have valid government photo ID, compared to 11% of all voters.

2. Banning mobile voting, except in cases of emergencies. In 2020, Fulton County—where 44% of residents are Black—turned to mobile voting to mitigate long lines. The new ban will disproportionately affect Black voters and will inevitably drive up wait times at the polls.

3. Requiring ballot boxes to only be available during normal business hours. Black adults are more likely to work multiple jobs compared to other groups. Eliminating options of voting before and after normal business hours burdens Black working voters more than others.

4. Banning election officials from sending out unsolicited VBM applications. The state sent out VBM apps in 2020, which helped lead to record turnout. Black voters used VBM at higher rates than other groups. Eliminating access to VBM would harm Black voters more in GA.

5. Banning organizations from sending VBM requests to voters & engaging in ballot collection. Many grassroots voter organizations in the Peach State focus on Black communities, like the plaintiffs. Stopping community voter mobilization efforts would affect Black voters the most.

6. Banning people from giving food/drink to voters waiting in line. Black voters in Georgia must often endure long wait times at the polls. A study found that the average wait time to vote in 90% white neighborhoods was 6 mins., while in 90% Black neighborhoods it was 51 mins.

Banning food and drink only increases the burden on voters. In the June 2020 primary, some GA voters waited 4+ hours in line in the summer heat to cast a ballot. The ability to hand out food/drink made it physically possible for people to stay in line and vote safely.

7. Almost entirely banning out-of-precinct voting. Black voters in GA are more likely than white voters to move within their county and vote at a different local precinct than assigned. Banning OOP voting would result in more Black voters’ ballots being thrown out.

8. The ability to file unlimited claims challenging the validity of another person’s voter eligibility. Any Georgian can now file as many challenges as they want, questioning another Georgian’s right to vote. The accused Georgian must…

...appear in front of their local board of registrar almost immediately after the challenge is filed to prove their eligibility or risk disenfranchisement. The law will almost certainly discriminate against voters of color the most and force an undue burden on them.

9. Shortening runoff election voting. The law reduces mandatory early voting in runoff elections from 3 weeks to 5 DAYS & eliminates weekend voting. Minority voters disproportionately use weekend voting, and any reduction in those hours will suppress their voting accessibility.

The provisions of the bill affect Black and other minority voters the most in Georgia. Taken all together it’s very clear to see that this bill has one goal: to suppress the rights of minority voters.

#SB202 is the Big Lie signed into law and cynically targets minority voters in Georgia. It is racist—and it cannot stand. #gapol

Read the full lawsuit here⤵️
democracydocket.com/cases/georgia-…

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