According to a U.S official, the US Justice Department is issuing a lawsuit against the highly criticized Republican-backed voting law in Georgia that is being scrutinized for its intentional discrimination against the Black voters and is labeled unconstitutional.
The new bill proposes imposing new voter identification requirements, permitting state officials to take control of local election boards. Furthermore, it aims to limit the usage of ballot drop boxes and cut down on the absentee voting window, whilst making it illegal to provide food and water to voters standing in line.
Advertisement
The law which was signed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp on the 25th of March became a subject to instant backlash from major corporations and civil rights groups, including the NAACP and Delta Airlines Inc. The Major League Basketball, showing concerns over the legislation, moved for a change in location for this year’s All-Star Game and the MLB Draft event that is scheduled to be held in Atlanta.
Earlier this month, Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the Justice Department will double the staff working on the voting rights issues within the next 30 days and will issue a new set of guidance regarding early voting, mail-in voting, and post-election audits, stating that the actions are needed to protect American’s basic right to choose their own government.
While addressing the department’s workforce, Garland doubled down this disapproval of ad-hoc audits of the 2020 election, such as a controversial recount being conducted in Arizona which he perceives to be based on accusations rejected by the courts.
In an address to the department’s workforce, Garland criticized ad-hoc audits of the 2020 election, such as a controversial recount underway in Arizona, that he said were based on accusations already rejected by the courts.
“We are scrutinizing new laws that seek to curb voter access and where we see violations, we will not hesitate to act,” Garland said.
A last-minute compromise- largely with the business community- saw some provisions softened or dropped that previously fast-tracked through both houses of the legislature.
Advertisement