Georgia GOP Governor Brian Kemp is a solid conservative and an effective governor. He tells the truth and looks after Georgians first. Thus, he takes heat from all sides.
Trump went after him because he wouldn’t cheat for the former president. Democrats go after him because his election reform bill makes elections more honest and thus hurts their chances at the polls. Here he explains his recently signed election reform bill.
Gov. Brian Kemp has signed SB 202, a massive voting and election-administration related omnibus bill that expands early voting for most counties, requires ID info to vote absentee, makes big changes to the State Elections Board, and more. My explainer: https://t.co/wymisqs3h1
— Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) March 25, 2021
Kemp: “In their blatant assault on local election systems across the country, Democrats and the mainstream media are spreading lies and misinformation about Georgia’s Election Integrity Act that I recently signed into law.
Instead of addressing specific proposals in SB 202, they have resorted to demonizing Georgians – and Americans – who support commonsense election reform measures.
Democrats and partisan activists across the country, including President Biden, have falsely labeled Georgia’s new voting law as ‘Jim Crow 2.0.’ This rhetoric is disingenuous and completely false. Here is what SB 202 actually does:
It expands access to early voting statewide by requiring two mandatory Saturdays and allowing local election officials the option of up to two Sundays during early voting. This change would apply to all 159 counties in Georgia for the first time and result in hundreds of hours of increased early voting opportunities across the state.
SB 202 requires all voters to provide a driver’s license or a free state ID card number to request and submit an absentee ballot. This would replace the cumbersome signature match process, thereby significantly streamlining – and securing – absentee ballot verification and tabulation. Every Georgia voter must already present some form of photo ID to vote in person.
For the first time ballot drop boxes – which were not available to Georgia voters prior to the COVID-19 pandemic – are mandated in every county, while also ensuring all drop boxes are secured around the clock.
SB 202 protects polling locations from electioneering by private individuals. Within 150 feet of the precinct, election officials may provide water at stations. Beyond 150 feet, as previous Georgia law allowed, private individuals may campaign and provide food and water for voters.
It also requires local election officials to continue tabulating votes until counting is complete and mandates the use of security paper to ensure complete authentication of ballots. As you can see, these reforms have nothing to do with ‘voter suppression’ or “Jim Crow.” The Election Integrity Act makes it easy to vote by expanding access to the polls and harder to cheat by ensuring the security of the ballot box.
However, the implications of this fight today go far beyond the borders of the Peach State. They hope to scare, intimidate and threaten you so they can ram an unconstitutional power-grab through Congress. House Resolution 1 would put the federal government in charge of elections across the country, encourage ballot harvesting, ban voter ID requirements, and stop states from keeping their voter rolls clean.
As governor, I refuse to back down from this fight because the integrity of our elections is the foundation of who we are as Georgians and Americans. In Georgia, we will always protect the sanctity of the ballot box and keep working to restore complete confidence in our democracy.”
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