Georgia lawmakers fight GOP voter suppression efforts with new state voting rights act
Democratic state lawmakers introduced a state-level voting rights act in Georgia Thursday, which seeks to protect the voting rights of Georgia’s Black voters and other voters of color whose right to vote has been under attack by the state’s Republican majority in recent years.
Key elements of the bill will require certain counties with a history of racial discrimination to get approval before making changes to voting practices, expand voting language access, prohibit vote dilution, and allow both citizens and local governments to bring a case in state court alleging vote discrimination.
The bill comes as elections and voting rights are under severe duress in the Peach State. In late January, the Trump administration raided an election hub in Fulton County as part of an unprecedented probe into the 2020 election. As a result, some GOP state lawmakers are calling for the state election board to take control of voting in Fulton County for the upcoming midterm elections.
During a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol Thursday morning, Democratic lawmakers and voting rights advocates unveiled the Henry McNeal Turner Voting Rights Act, which was named after a reconstruction-era Georgia legislator.
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/georgia-lawmakers-fight-gop-voter-suppression-efforts-with-new-state-voting-rights-act/