Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday condemned a sweeping elections bill signed into law by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), calling the legislation “despicable” and vowing to take action against it.
“Since 2012—the GA GOP has closed more than 200 polling places,” Schumer tweeted. “Voters in mostly Black precincts now wait 8X LONGER to vote than voters in mostly white precincts. Now the GOP makes it a crime to give water to people standing in long lines THEY CREATED.”
The top Democrat vowed: “We will act.”
The controversial law, passed by a party-line vote just hours earlier by the GOP-controlled state General Assembly, tightens voting laws by limiting the use of ballot drop boxes and setting photo ID requirements for absentee voting.
The bill also takes aim at the state’s absentee ballot request period, setting the deadline for voters to request absentee ballots at 11 days before an election. It also calls for prohibiting people from giving food or drinks to voters waiting in line to cast their ballots.
Democrats have widely condemned the legislation, seeing it as a direct response to a series of recent Republican electoral losses.
The voting bill is among dozens being considered by state legislatures nationwide after former President Trump spread claims that voter fraud and systemic irregularities had cost him the 2020 election.
There is no evidence to support any of Trump’s claims, but Georgia’s bill aims to respond to his grievances.
In November, President Biden became the first Democrat to win a presidential race in Georgia since 1992. Two months later, in January, Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock successfully ousted former Sens. David Perdue (R-Ga.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), respectively, in a pair of runoff elections that effectively handed Democrats the Senate majority.
A Democratic state representative caused an uproar when she was arrested Thursday inside the Statehouse as she knocked on the door of Kemp’s office to protest during a signing ceremony for the bill.