(ThyBlackMan.com) It is 11:17 PM and I have just finished reading SB 202, Georgia’s new 98-page voting law that passed last week. I must admit it is a clean bill and quick read, unlike my struggle encountered when reading HR 1. I imagine I am one of the few who have read the text. I am certain President Biden and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki have not or they would not be so hyperbolic and recant things they suggest which are in the bill which are not. I may also be able to say the same with respect to pundits and so-called journalist in mainstream media, and the heads of major corporations the likes of Major League Baseball, Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola. All seem to repeat phrases like “voter suppression,” “Jim Crow,” and “voter restriction,” among others to describe the bill – all which are false and inaccurate.
Breaking it down, what is missed by most is that what is articulated in the bill deals with voting in post pandemic Georgia. After the exposure of Covid to the world from China, major impromptu changes were made in the voting process in many states without legislative codification as required by law as stated under Article I, section 4 of the U.S. Constitution which states: “The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the places of choosing Senators.”
First is the assertion that the Bill reduces the period during which voters may request an absentee ballot. This is true but it only reduces the time from what was put in place in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. Given the pandemic is slowing, many people will vote in person which will not require a six-month period as which was put in place due to the pandemic in Georgia, so it has been reduced to three-months. Specifically, “11 days prior to the date of the primary or election, or runoff of either, in which the elector desires to vote, any absentee elector may make, either by mail, by facsimile transmission, by electronic transmission, or in person in the registrar’s or absentee ballot clerk’s office, an application for an official ballot of the elector’s precinct to be voted at such primary, election, or runoff.” If three months is not enough time to request an absentee ballot, then they do not need to vote and the requirement that they should be in 11 days prior to the day of the election means that these votes can be counted with a reasonable time limit. Can anyone really argue that there should not be a reasonable period standardized to count votes?
Another fallacy pertains to the adlib sending out of absentee ballots when they have not been requested by a voter. I can attest to the fact that I received more than 20 this past election season from private organizations and political PACS that I did not request. The new laws states: “neither the Secretary of State, election superintendent, board of registrars, other governmental entity, nor employee or agent thereof shall send absentee ballot applications directly to any elector except upon request of such elector or a relative authorized to request an absentee ballot for such elector. No person or entity other than a relative authorized to request an absentee ballot for such elector or a person signing as assisting an illiterate or physically disabled elector shall send any elector an absentee ballot application that is prefilled with the elector’s required information set forth in this subparagraph.” Critics of the law suggest that by not allowing third-party groups to prefill applications for a potential voter, that this will make applying for an absentee ballot a lot harder. This is another faulty argument for if this act would be permitted to complete a check from a bank, or secure a flight on an airline, such would be quickly considered a likely pathway to rampant fraud. Thus, the absentee voting period begins 11 weeks before the elections and ends 11 days before the election. No biggie.
Another area of contention relates to drop boxes. Georgia never had drop boxes pre-pandemic. But to address the circumstance presented by the virus, they added nearly 100 to make voting more convenient. The new law simply codifies that drop boxes are legal but that their number be based on voter registration data. Not to mention that if one receives and completes an absentee ballot, they can simply return it by mail no postage required. In addition, for reasonable security matters, they must be placed indoors at government buildings and early-voting sites as opposed to Lenox Mall, Magic city or the local Walmart. This too is reasonable however critics suggest that it will prohibit voters from being able to drop off their ballots during nonbusiness hours. They even say that returning ballots received by mail would be problematic being returned by mail – a simply idiotic conclusion. Regarding drop boxes the bill states that they: “ shall be established at the office of the board of registrars or absentee ballot clerk or inside locations at which advance voting … is conducted in the applicable primary, election, or runoff and may be open during the hours of advance voting at that location.” It also states that: “additional drop boxes totaling the lesser of either one drop box for every 100,000 active registered voters in the county or the number of advance voting locations in the county. Any additional drop boxes shall be evenly geographically distributed by population in the county.”
President Biden has repeated the falsehood that voters can’t receive food or water while inline to vote. This is untrue. SB 202 states that “no person shall solicit votes in any manner or by any means or method, nor shall any person distribute or display any campaign material, nor shall any person give, offer to give, or participate in the giving of any money or gifts, including, but not limited to, food and drink, to an elector, nor shall any person solicit signatures for any petition, nor shall any person, other than election officials discharging their duties, establish or set up any tables or booths on any day in which ballots are being cast:
(1) Within 150 feet of the outer edge of any building within which a polling place is established;
(2) Within any polling place;
or
(3) Within 25 feet of any voter standing in line to vote at any polling place. These restrictions shall not apply to conduct occurring in private offices or areas which cannot be seen or heard by such electors.” It adds that “this Code section shall not be construed to prohibit a poll officer from distributing materials, as required by law, which are necessary for the purpose of instructing electors or from distributing materials prepared by the Secretary of State which are designed solely for the purpose of encouraging voter participation in the election being conducted or from making available self-service water from an unattended receptacle to an elector waiting in line to vote.” So, one can bring their own food and water or buy it from someone or it can be provided by official poll workers, just not political representatives or activist. It is designed to stop the offering of gifts for the exchange of votes (electioneering), which is what we saw in some places in 2020 like Nevada, where Native Americans were given Visa gift cards and jewelry to vote for Biden.
I would go into more detail, but this would end up being long winded for an essay. What has been and is being presented in the media as it regards SB 202 is menacing. People no longer read the laws they just pick a side and name call. It is embarrassing for a President of the United States to stand by a major corporation in support of protesting against the will of the people. Equally as sickening is suggesting that millionaire professional athletes are the “very people who are victimized the most” are “the leaders in these various sports, this is Jim Crow on steroids” as Biden said on ESPN. Biden and his lackies also said that voting was cut off by the new law at 5PM which is false – current time to vote has not changed and remains from 7AM to 7PM. Also, SB 202 expands weekend early voting. Before the bill, one day of weekend voting was required, now two Saturdays will be required, and counties can offer two Sunday voting days as well. Compare this to New York (only ten days) or Biden’s own state of Delaware which only enacted early voting recently and won’t be in place until 2022.
This past November, 2,694,763 people participated in in-person early voting of which 710,903 (26.4%) were Black so this isn’t about voter restriction rather voter ID. This is not about Black folk but rather having a path for illegal immigrants to vote because they the only folk without valid ID. The argument from the left is that if you support showing an ID to vote you are racist and a supporter of Jim Crow. Now this is being seconded by big business if you don’t agree with their views or way of life. This is troubling and reminiscent of Mussolini’s Italy for a society or system that is governed or controlled by corporations is a corporatocracy. No big business major corporations should be allowed to have veto power over the democratic process. Why is delta airlines and Coca-Cola even getting involved in the details of a voter fraud bill?
I live in Georgia and don’t see a problem with the bill. The only problem I see is the abundance of cats speaking on something they have not read. What I truly take issue with is the incessant proclamation that we black folk are to dumb to secure an ID and too stupid to decide what is best for us as Americans without the input from rich white liberals, most of whom do not live in my state.
Staff Writer; Torrance T. Stephens
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