Voter Suppression in Georgia

Since becoming Secretary of State of Georgia, Republican Brian Kemp has been accused of making it difficult to vote in the State. He has even been labeled the "master of voter suppression." 

While running for governor, things haven't changed much for Georgia's secretary of state; his efforts to block or circumvent the right to vote, especially for minorities, continue full speed ahead.

Kemp's most potent weapon used to purge voting rolls appears to be the "exact match" rule. After it was banned by the courts, the Republican majority found a unique way to push it through the General Assembly with startling results.

Under "exact match," addresses and other identifying information on a voter registration form must be identical to that on a driver's license or other government-issued documents, including something as simple as a hyphen or junior in one's name. As a result, at least 53,000 voter registration forms have been targeted or on hold in Georgia, 90 percent of which belong to minorities. Stacy Abrams, an African American and the Democratic candidate for governor, and civil liberties groups have filed a lawsuit, claiming it amounts to a modern-day poll tax and unfairly targets the poor and elderly.

Kemp has also targeted voter registration groups around the state in a supposed attempt to combat illegal voting. Get-out-the-vote rallies led by Abrams and others have netted over half a million new Asian, black, and Hispanic voters, with Kemp questioning or investigating their methods and goals. The Secretary of State's office has not discovered a hint of wrongdoing by Abrams' group or other voting rights organizations, which amounts to a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars.

Kemp's attempt to suppress the vote seems, in general, to be based on fear, according to a secret recording obtained by the New York Times when he said, "Democrats are working hard registering all these minority voters that are out there and others that are on the sidelines.

"If they can do that, they can win these elections in November," thus stopping the Republican agenda.

In his much-criticized role as secretary of state, he has fostered an environment of voter intimidation across Georgia. For instance, four hundred absentee ballots have been rejected in Gwinnett County, one of Georgia's largest and most diverse counties, over simple errors or insufficient information regarding signatures and addresses since the start of the election, according to the Atlanta Constitution.  Civil liberties groups have filed suit demanding that they be counted by election day. Other suspected cases of voter suppression during Kemp's tenure have included attempts to close polling places in rural, predominately black counties and assaults on early voting. 

Although a Georgia judge recently ruled against the "exact match" law,  the secretary of state has appealed to a higher court with just days to go before the election. The saga continues in Georgia for their simple quest to vote. 

Sources:  The Washington Post and the Atlanta Constitution.

Obamacare on the Line

Republicans have sought to kill the Affordable Care Act on many occasions and failed. It suffered a blow when the president signed the 2017 Republican-led tax bill. The bill eliminated the individual mandate, which required all Americans to be covered by health insurance or pay a tax. 

Despite its critics, recent polls suggest that most Americans like the Affordable Care Act or what Obama did to make health insurance accessible to all. As a result, Republicans have jumped on board, claiming they backed pre-existing conditions, the hallmark of the Federal health care law, all along. Nothing could be further from the truth. By voting to abolish the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, it would effectively end protection for millions in this country suffering from a previous health crisis, something all the GOP have fought diligently to do since its passage, despite voicing their support at rallies and on T.V.  The president, GOP members of Congress and Republican lawmakers running for office across America are dispensing such nonsense to poor, unsuspecting voters who will be stabbed in the back come January.  

Democrats, who passed the beloved ACA, must fight to set the record straight. They must call out the hypocrisy on the right or make it known that the GOP hates Obamacare, including the part that relates to pre-existing conditions, and would gut it like a fish. If progressives don't fight back, Republicans will succeed again on a phony claim like in 2002 when they bolstered support for the war in Iraq.

Sadly, Republicans will do anything to stay in power, lie, steal, and cheat instead of stating the facts or standing up for what is right.

Georgia Governor's Race Update

The race for governor heats up in Georgia as Democrats and Republicans clash over the right of all Georgians to vote with three weeks to go before election day.

Brian Kemp, the Republican nominee, recently flagged 53,000 voter registration forms, 90 percent of whom belong to minorities, in his official capacity as Secretary of State. Kemp claims they violate the "exact-match" policy put forth by him and the Republican majority in the General Assembly.  For instance, if the name or address listed on the form doesn't coincide with identifying information on a driver's license or another official document, which can be something as simple as a missing hyphen or misspelling, it will be targeted or put on hold with the voter allowed to cast a provisional ballot, which may or may not be counted.   

Kemp's opponent, Democrat Stacy Abrams, the first African American woman to be nominated by a major party for governor, and civil rights groups have not only filed suit against Kemp but are demanding that he recuse himself or step down from his current position until the election is over. They claim "exact-match" not only amounts to a modern-day poll tax but unfairly targets the poor and the elderly, who may find it difficult to obtain documents verifying their status. Kemp's opponents also assert that his refusal to leave office while running for governor is like the fox guarding the henhouse or an umpire playing on the opposing team, which stacks the deck against the Democrats.   

The Secretary of State of Georgia's actions conjure memories of the 1964 Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party.  When African Americans in the Mississippi could not participate in the political process, they elected their own delegates to the Democratic National Convention but were denied seating.  If 53,000 or more minorities cannot vote on November 6 or are intimidated at polling places, the country will suffer a similar faith with the fraudulently elected taking office. 

 Kemp made a shocking statement recently when he referred to his opponents as outside agitators. This is reminiscent of the 1960s in the Deep South instead of a State moving forward, which could negatively impact Georgia's growing economy. That may be why so many in the State oppose his candidacy.