Saturday, March 27, 2021

QOTD -- Election Nullification, Georgia Style



"... [I]f this law had been in place, Donald Trump absolutely might have succeeded in overturning the election in Georgia because his biggest Republican critic in Georgia was the secretary of state, (Brad Raffensperger)…. If the Republican legislature in Georgia had wanted to overturn the will of the voters, they could have done that through control of the State Board of Elections and through leaning on county board of elections. And this is why they have made this such a big part of the bill. [snip]

"A lot of things got the headlines, right, Rachel? Not being able to give people food and water, trying to cut back on early voting — those kinds of things got the headlines. But I think the real purpose here was to intensify control over how every aspect of elections are run in Georgia. So, when there are close elections in the future — which they know there will be — they will have unprecedented power to challenge the election results and to decline to certify them if they don't like who the winner is." -- journalist Ari Berman on "The Rachel Maddow Show" Thursday, commenting on a less- noted provision in the recently- signed Georgia voter suppression law paving the way for the Republican state legislature to change election results through control of the board of elections.  It should be noted other Republican- controlled states are proposing similar provisions. (our emphasis)

(Photo:  Georgia Gov. Brian "KK" Kemp signs voter suppression law, witnessed by six white Republicans and a portrait of a plantation.  Their white sheets must be in the laundry.)


3 comments:

donnah said...

Well, they're certainly proud of themselves, rushing this through the state house and senate and right into Kemp's mitts to be signed behind closed and locked doors. It cannot be allowed to stand and we cannot have this be the template for more states to follow. It's obviously not democratic or even meant to be a representation of American beliefs.

Unknown said...

For them and their voters, signing into law under a portrait of a slave plantation was the cherry on top.

W. Hackwhacker said...

donnah -- we're looking to the courts and, ultimately, the For the People Act (HR 1) to deal with these Jim Crow laws.

unknown -- yes, that was quite the tableaux!