Graphic by Hagar Yosfan
Gianna Burgess
News Reporter
On Monday, March 25th, Senate Bill 202 was sent to Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia and signed into law. While lawmakers rushed to push the legislation through both the House and Senate, protestors gathered outside the State Capitol.
Coined “Jim Crow 2.0” by those who oppose the bill, Senate Bill 202, or SB 202 for short, overhauls numerous election laws, invoking limitations on mail-in voting being one of the more significant changes. In addition, the bill shortens the absentee ballot request period, halves the duration of Runoff elections, bans the use of mobile voting buses that help with long lines, requires county election supervisors to have absentee ballots counted by 5 p.m (on the day following elections), and requires voters to present identification while returning ballots to verify.
A video of State Rep. Park Cannon being escorted out of the state’s capitol, in an attempt to view the signing of the bill, and eventually getting arrested by Georgia State Patrol made rounds on Twitter. Immediate backlash followed, with many Twitter users condemning the State Patrol and the legislation for passing what qualified as voter suppression despite being referred to a law that would combat voter suppression.
The NAACP reacted to the new legislation by filing a lawsuit against the State of Georgia, stating that “SB 202 is a blatant attempt by the Georgia legislature and Governor Kemp to suppress the participation of Black voters and other voters of color.” The NAACP called the laws “blatantly discriminatory actions” that “must be declared unconstitutional.”
Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, companies who employ a large number of Georgians, have also spoken out against the new laws, calling them “unacceptable,” “a step backward,” and saying they are based on “a lie that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.”
Former President Donald Trump responded to Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, calling for a boycott of both companies. Georgia’s House of Representatives has also voted to strip Delta of their annual tax break—worth tens of millions of dollars. The Senate failed to “take it up” before their legislative session adjourned.
