(ATLANTA) – Governor Brian Kemp signed into law a bill that the Georgia State Legislature passed today that would institute unnecessary and burdensome limitations on the right to vote, including voting by mail and early voting, that directly target and restrict access to the ballot box for Black Americans and other voters of color who participated in record numbers in the 2020 election season. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, acting president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
“With the passage of this bill today, Georgia state lawmakers have shown how far they will go to restrict the right to vote and prevent voters of color from reaching the ballot box, having their voices heard, and being able to participate in our democracy. This should be marked as Exhibit A in making the case that discriminatory voter suppression is alive and well, and makes clear why we need federal voting rights legislation to stop these laws in their tracks. We stand ready to take action and protect the fundamental right to vote through the courts.”
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About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of voting rights, criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and hate crimes. For more information, please visit https://lawyerscommittee.org.
