ATLANTA — This morning, the GOP-led Senate “Ethics” Committee heard Mike Dugan’s SB 241, a bill that would add racist photo ID requirements to vote by mail, includes MILLIONS of dollars in unfunded mandates to counties, add a new and dangerous so-called “fraud” hotline staffed by Georgia’s Attorney General, and more. Shame on Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan for allowing such a thing to advance in his Senate Chamber.
Georgia’s Senate Republicans cannot pat themselves on the back for potentially removing a small fraction of SB 241’s devastating provisions – this bill will STILL disenfranchise thousands of Georgians, making it one of the worst voter suppression bills in the entire nation. The photo ID requirements alone threaten the voting rights of over 200,000 voters in Georgia who lack the ID that SB 241 would require. And due to the Chairman’s Max Burns’ unwillingness to demand a clear and open presentation of the bill, this morning’s hearing left legislators on both sides of the aisle scrambling to learn what was even left in the bill. We demand to see the substitute bill now.
This bill would undermine democracy in Georgia and silence the voices of Georgia voters. It is dangerous, harmful, and unacceptable. Nearly every single GOP state senator has signed on as a sponsor – showing the GA GOP’s determination to roll back voting rights in our state and protect their power at all costs.
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