As Republican leaders continue to focus on voter suppression instead of the COVID public health crisis, Georgia receives federal funds to (hopefully) bail out disastrous vaccination rate
Only 13 percent of Georgians have been vaccinated, worst rate in country
ATLANTA — In spite of the CDC’s announcement today that Georgia will receive $96 million in new funding to help bail out the state’s struggling vaccination rollout, GOP leaders continue to focus on defending voter suppression rather than fixing Georgia’s last-in-the-nation vaccination rate.
While Georgia Republicans continue a media blitz to try and bolster exceedingly low public support for the provisions of SB 202, Georgians are still waiting on vaccine appointments even after the federal government was forced to open a mass vaccination center at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in March.
And what’s in this bill that Georgia Republicans are so focused on, when only 13% of Georgians are fully vaccinated? SB 202 adds burdensome new ID requirements, criminalizes handing out food and water to voters, and puts unnecessary limits on ballot drop boxes while transferring “unprecedented” amounts of power over elections to partisan politicians in the state legislature.
“GOP leaders would rather fixate on protecting their anti-democratic voter suppression law SB 202 than addressing Georgia’s vaccine rates, in which Georgia lags behind all 49 other states,” said Fair Fight Action Organizing Director Hillary Holley. “Fortunately, thanks to President Joe Biden and Georgia’s Senators and Congressional Representatives working to pass the American Rescue Plan, Georgia–on a state and local level–will receive federal help to bail out the failures of Republican leaders. But it’s past time for the GOP to end their focus on suppressing votes and start addressing our public health crisis.”
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