Thread by @Geoffrey_Wardle

Friends and Family,
 
If you are going to share stories, memes, thoughts on Georgia’s recently adopted voting law changes, including criticism of critics, I ask that you do a little research and you give a little thought before doing it. /1 #voting #GA #votingrights #racism

There are provisions of the Georgia law that do make permanent certain changes there that were implemented in response by COVID.  Every state should implement those elements.  /2

And if it were actually about voter ID then that issue has been fully vetted and addressed by the Courts regarding what is appropriate and constitutional. /3

But, they have incorporated a lot of other provisions that ostensibly are intended to improve “election security”.  /4

What are the election security issues that they are seeking to address?  What election issues have been proven to have occurred in Georgia? What do these changes address?  /5

Other than the fact that more voters voted for Democratic candidates for President and the US Senate than voted for Republicans.  That appears to be the only issue with the last election that people cite.  Not even Sidney Powell is defending her claims of fraud. /6

So what are the bad things in the Georgia law that have caused Georgia’s business leaders to speak out and Major League Baseball to remove the All Star Game? /7

Go read it for your self and decide.  Here is the link: legis.ga.gov/legislation/59… /8

The extremists/Republicans in the Georgia Legislature are interjecting themselves into elections in an inappropriate way just exactly as the former president demanded, that state legislatures intervene and put their thumb on the scale of the will of the voters. /9

Here are some of the most egregious provision from this 95 page omnibus bill that starts with a questionable and revisionist recitation of the Big Lie advocated by the former president and his acolytes without any proof: /10

GA Code Section 21-2-3 – Requiring the Attorney General to accept anonymous tips of election fraud and to decide in 3 days to investigate them. /11

How can you evaluate the credibility of such and investigate such with such a low barrier to allege fraud?  What does this do to give confidence in Election Security? /12

GA Code Section 21-2-30(a) - Stripping Georgia’s Secretary of State of a seat on the State Election Board and replacing that position with an appointee of a majority of the state legislature.  /13

It is only an issue because the existing Secretary of State was resolute in enforcing Georgia Law over the objections of the former president (not because Raffensperger has been a major supporter of voting expansion). /14

And the measures to ensure that the chair is nonpartisan are insufficient where it is left to a majority vote of the legislature.  And the board is now inherently partisan and controlled by the Legislature. /15

So, how does this improve election security and why is it necessary?  What does this do to give confidence in Election Security? /16

GA Code Section 21-2-33.1 – Allows the Legislatively controlled State Election Board to suspend local election boards and to appoint their own selected individuals to run elections and act for up to 9 months. /17

How does this address Election Security?  What issue has there been with local election boards? /18

GA Code Section 2-2-106 – Allows members of the legislature to initiate “performance reviews” of local election officials.  How does this address Election Security?  Why do individual legislators need this right? /19

GA Code Section 21-2-381(a)(1)(A) - Cutting off Absentee Ballot Requests 11 days before the election – this is a week longer than it had been before.  /20

With the mandate now for every county to provide dropboxes, there is no reason that Georgia should have increased this period.  What does this do to give confidence in Election Security? /21

GA Code Section 21-2-382 - Limitations on mandated dropboxes – there is no evidence that dropboxes have been a problem, even in the states that are entirely vote by mail. /22

Georgia’s regulations are unnecessary and limit their use to regular voting hours. What does this do to give confidence in election security? /23

GA Code Section 21-2-414 - Prohibition on providing food and water – Don’t make people stand in line for 5+ hours to vote.  That is solved.  This was unnecessary and just an attempt to be cruel.  What does this do to give confidence in election security? /24

GA Code 21-2-501 - Shortening the period of time for Runoffs – Runoffs are a true vestige of Jim Crow era voting laws and are designed to disenfranchise, but with the shortened time, there will be difficulty complying with the new timelines for conducting such elections. /25

What does this do to give confidence in election security? Why not implement ranked choice voting? /26

As you contemplate your position on the Georgia bill, please thoughtfully consider the following questions and evaluate how anything other than racial animus gets you to an answer: /27

What is the significance of Governor Kemp signing the bill in a closed private meeting under a painting of plantation? /28

What is the significance of Governor Kemp’s close affiliation with Kris Kobach and Kobach’s discredited technology? /29

What is the significance of a member of the legislature knocking on the door of the Governor’s office and being arrested during the bill signing? /30

What is the significance of members of the GA Legislature repeatedly invoking the name of Stacey Abrams in responding to opponents of this bill? /31

You cannot thoughtfully consider these issues and these questions without acknowledging that this is in fact an attempt to suppress voter participation, especially by African Americans.  This is Jim Crow 2.0. 
 /32

Election Security is just the cover that extremists use to gain and hold on to their power. /33