Georgia governor’s view on voting bill ‘not based in fact’ – White House By Syndicated Content Apr 1, 2021 2:09 PM WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday criticized Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's contention that Georgia's new voting rights law does not limit voter access. Privacy Policy On Thursday, Georgia Gov. }); EVENTS The Georgia voting law — like so many others being pursued by Republicans in statehouses across the country — is a blatant attack on the right to vote… Georgia's Election Integrity Act of 2021 makes it illegal to give food, water to voters in line By Faith Karimi, CNN Friday, March 26, 2021 2:49PM ATLANTA -- … They issued their appeal after Delta and Coca-Cola had faced the threat of boycotts from activists who said they needed to do more to oppose the law. ", Minority Leader James Beverly said the bill does not reflect bipartisan efforts to handle election changes and said it "silences the voice of Georgians. Virginie Kippelen/AFP via Getty Images The campaign against the new law, led by Merck’s Frazier and former American Express Co CEO Kenneth Chenault, urged companies – so far largely silent on the Georgia law – to look past the appearance of partisanship and publicly stand against it and voting restrictions being pursued in other states. "Drop boxes are the most inconvenient way to vote absentee," she said. Rep. Bee Nguyen, a Democrat from Atlanta, said in a floor speech that Republican lawmakers were passing harmful legislation that helps continue a narrative that led to death threats for elected officials and elections workers and contributed to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January. Georgia was at the center of a storm of controversy concerning election integrity following the 2020 presidential election. "It takes away the ability to have uniformity in every county," he said. The Georgia bill, signed into law by Gov. The House passed Senate Bill 202 by a straight party-line 100-75 vote on Thursday, with Republicans in the majority, followed by it passing the GOP-controlled Senate 34-20. INFORMATION “We’re calling on corporate America to publicly oppose any discriminatory legislation and all measures designed to limit Americans’ ability to vote,” Chenault told Reuters. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Bernard Orr and Howard Goller). Georgia's Republican lawmakers have proposed a number of changes to cut down on voting options. }).render('ba25868856a746c68da2b09b1b55bc48'); In Iowa, Republicans passed a law that tightens the receipt window for absentee ballots, cuts the early in-person voting … Management Registry of Corporate Directors. African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Reginald Jackson announces a boycott of Coca-Cola Co. products outside the Georgia Capitol on Thursday, March 25, 2021 in Atlanta. His memo, on the final day of the state legislative session, drew condemnation from Republican Governor Brian Kemp. Majority Caucus Vice Chair Sen. Larry Walker (R-Perry) sponsored the bill and said it would improve security and efficiency of the absentee process. Masthead, ← Megan Thee Stallion, Fashion Nova Want To Stop The Asian Hate, Donated $50K, ← Mysonne Defends Activist Tamika Mallory Against ‘Clout Chaser’ Criticism, 100 Founders of Change by American Express, Chasing Success Podcast by JP Morgan Chase, Elevate Black Podcast sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, Commitment Counts Podcast sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, Merck & Co Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Frazier, Megan Thee Stallion, Fashion Nova Want To Stop The Asian Hate, Donated $50K, Mysonne Defends Activist Tamika Mallory Against ‘Clout Chaser’ Criticism. Microsoft, which in February announced a major new investment in Atlanta, Georgia’s capital, added its voice with president Brad Smith saying provisions of the law signed last week “unfairly restrict the rights of people to vote legally, securely, and safely.”. playerId: '4c4274f6-883d-4331-88d6-3a01a54156b9' The bill passed the state House 100-75 … hide caption. Heard on ... Georgia House Republicans passed a sweeping elections bill … ... 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. None of the companies disclosed any concrete steps they might take in response to the law. The bill expands early voting in most counties and requires an ID number for absentee voting in place of signature verification, among other things. "Members of this body aided and abetted a deliberate misinformation campaign to sow seeds of doubt among Georgia voters with absolutely no facts or evidence. But Rep. Calvin Smyre, a Black Democrat from Columbus and the longest-serving member in the chamber, said Fleming's logic was hypocritical and discriminatory against Black voters who use the second Sunday for "souls to the polls" events. cnx({ On Wednesday, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey called the law “unacceptable – it is a step backwards.” He told CNBC the law is “wrong and it needs to be remedied.”, Delta chief executive Ed Bastian blasted the law, saying in a company memo on Wednesday: “The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections.”, Bastian wrote: “The bill includes provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly Black voters, to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives.”. In addition to the drop boxes, Georgia voters can return absentee ballots in person to their county elections office or use the mail, both arguably more inconvenient than a secure 24/7 monitored drop box that minimizes human contact in a pandemic. “American companies need to take a stand.”. !function(n){if(!window.cnx){window.cnx={},window.cnx.cmd=[];var t=n.createElement('iframe');t.display='none',t.onload=function(){var n=t.contentWindow.document,c=n.createElement('script');c.src='//cd.connatix.com/connatix.player.js',c.setAttribute('async','1'),c.setAttribute('type','text/javascript'),n.body.appendChild(c)},n.head.appendChild(t)}}(document); The bill's sponsor, GOP Rep. Barry Fleming, who chairs the House Special Committee on Election Integrity, said the 66-page measure "is designed to begin to bring back the confidence of our voters back into our election system" after Republicans lost confidence in the GOP-backed voting system following Democrats' victories in the November presidential contest and both of Georgia's U.S. Senate races. "I stand in opposition to this bill because Democrats weren't involved in any meaningful conversation before 531 was haphazardly thrown together in committee and passed.". About March 26, 2021 11:18AM ET Everything You Need to Know About Georgia’s New Voting Law The law puts restrictions of mail-in voting, criminalizes the act … The 98-page bill makes dramatic alterations to Georgia's absentee voting rules, adding new identification requirements, moving back the request deadline and other changes after a record 1.3 million absentee ballots overwhelmed local elections officials and raised Republican skepticism of a voting method they created. P resident Joe Biden is so committed to bipartisan cooperation and fact-based governance that he’s launched an ignorant and incendiary attack on the new Georgia voting … "The bill sets more uniform voting times for advanced voting across the state and attempts to bring more uniformity to our state and less confusion," Fleming said. One of the most controversial sections in the bill would mandate that all counties have the same early voting dates and times: three weeks of Monday-through-Friday voting, one mandatory Saturday and then one additional Saturday or Sunday during the first weekend. Contact Gov. The Georgia voting bill known as SB 202 is now passed law, and the reaction rages on in the state at the center of 2020’s election debates:. The reaction to the election law has parallels to that of the 2019 Georgia heartbeat bill, an abortion-restriction bill that was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge last year. The 96-page bill makes dramatic alterations to Georgia's absentee voting rules, adding new identification requirements, moving back the request deadline and other changes after a … Kemp said the memo “stands in stark contrast to our conversations with the company, ignores the content of the new law, and unfortunately continues to spread the same false attacks being repeated by partisan activists.”. "For example, if a county chooses the first Sunday, the situation will be extremely confusing for county residents with voting closed on that Saturday. "Were we to eliminate drop boxes, which we are not, not a single absentee voter would be inconvenienced because every voter has a drop box called a mailbox.". Over objections from Democrats, Georgia House Republicans passed a sweeping elections bill that would enact more restrictions on absentee voting and cut back on weekend early voting hours favored by larger counties, among other changes. Georgia's Republican lawmakers have proposed a number of changes to cut down on voting options. ABOUT Why Republicans Are Moving To Fix Elections That Weren't Broken, Virginia Is Poised To Approve Its Own Voting Rights Act. MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Georgia Senate Bill 202 has been signed into law, making changes to elections moving forward. The bill now heads to the Georgia Senate, which is considering its own omnibus measure that would end no-excuse absentee voting, among other changes. Black Men XCEL The legislation, Senate Bill 202, was passed along party lines by Georgia’s General Assembly with votes of 100-75 in the House and 34-20 in the Senate.It aims to enhance voting rules to ensure more fair and safe elections. cnx.cmd.push(function() { 0. Georgia voters cast their ballots in Chamblee for runoff elections in early January. Claim: The Georgia House passed a bill that “makes it a misdemeanor to give food or water to voters waiting in line.” The Republican-backed Georgia law strengthened identification requirements for absentee ballots, shortened early voting periods for runoffs and made it a misdemeanor for members of the public to offer food and water to voters waiting in line. BE 100s Brian Kemp last week has prompted lawsuits from civil rights groups, a sharp denunciation … Georgia voters cast their ballots in Chamblee for runoff elections in early January. The vote was 35 to 18, with Democrats united in opposition, as GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting) News reported:. Last week, the Republican-controlled Georgia state government approved a sweeping new law that imposes strict voter identification requirements for absentee ballots, limits ballot drop-box locations, gives the legislature greater control over elections and criminalizes offering food and water to voters standing in line. Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, Others Blast Georgia Voting Restrictions Bill. Critics questioned why Delta and other companies did not speak out before Georgia’s governor signed the restrictions into law. Frazier, who is stepping down as head of Merck in June, has been outspoken on social and political issues before. B.E. In Georgia, the bill would shorten early voting hours, limit ballot drop boxes and outlaw non-poll workers handing out water or food to waiting voters waiting. BLACK ENTERPRISE is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Georgia House Passes Elections Bill That Would Limit Absentee And Early Voting ... 2021 5 :47 PM ET. SistersInc. Entrepreneurs Summit (a) Short title.—This title may be cited as the “Voter Empowerment Act of 2021”. (Reuters) – Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines on Wednesday joined a bid by U.S. companies to challenge the state of Georgia’s new voting restrictions, with both Atlanta-based companies calling the law unacceptable. Women of Power TECH, PODCASTS A letter supporting Frazier and Chenault’s campaign was signed by 72 Black executives including former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, former Citigroup chairman Richard Parsons and Uber Chief Legal Officer Tony West. Brian Kemp signed a complex and controversial omnibus bill that makes sweeping changes to practically every aspect of the state's voting … (b) Statement of policy.—It is the policy of the United States that— (1) the ability of all eligible citizens of the United States to access and exercise their constitutional right to vote in a free, fair, and timely manner must be vigilantly enhanced, protected, and maintained; and ", "In the opening salvo: Line 8 restricts access, Line 15 limits my ability to vote, Line 21 limits my ability to vote, Line 25 limits my ability to vote, Line 30 restricts access, and it goes on and on for 66 pages," he said. Partnership Solutions Since 1970, BLACK ENTERPRISE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. Georgia governor signs into law sweeping voting bill that curtails the use of drop boxes and imposes new ID requirements for mail voting ... 2021 at … Civil rights groups have launched legal challenges to the new law, arguing that the measures are intended to make it harder for people – especially Black voters, traditionally Democratic voters – to cast ballots. Apr 2, 2021, 07:00am EST. An avalanche of misinformation will follow regarding when voting happens on weekends. Kemp signed the bill less than two hours after it received final passage in the Georgia General Assembly. Dozens of Black executives, including Merck & Co Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Frazier, had earlier in the day called on their peers in U.S. companies to push back against wider restrictions on voting rights. Brian Kemp last month, has tougher ID rules for absentee ballots, limits the use of drop boxes like those implemented during the 2020 elections… Women of Power Summit Delta’s criticism was a course reversal for the airline, which had praised the law in a statement on Friday even as it acknowledged having concerns. by REUTERS March 31, 2021 March 31, 2021 304. “The final bill is unacceptable and does not match Delta’s values,” the memo said. Georgia is the latest state to pass a sweeping elections package. Confusion deters voting, which brings about voter suppression.". Your Money, Your Life, LATEST LISTS The 95-page bill … "We are legislating on lies ... lies, misinformation and conspiracy theories that have gone unchecked by many members of this body, who stayed silent, who signed on to the Texas lawsuit or who encouraged sham hearings in our General Assembly," she said. And Citi Chief Financial Officer Mark Mason said in a LinkedIn post he was “appalled by the recent voter suppression” passed in Georgia. Speaker pro tempore Jan Jones, a Milton Republican, spoke about sections of the bill that would restrict access to secure drop boxes by limiting the number of boxes and requiring them to be inside early voting sites and only available during in-person early voting. House Bill 531, which passed 97-72 Monday, would also strip the secretary of state of his role as chair of the State Election Board, prevent county elections offices from receiving direct grant funding, shorten Georgia's runoff election period and require counties to add more staff, equipment or polling places in large precincts with long voter lines. The new Georgia elections law signed by Republican Gov. He was the first CEO to leave Republican former President Donald Trump’s American Manufacturing Council, saying he was taking a stand against intolerance and extremism, and called out racial inequities across U.S. society after the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minnesota police officer.