Georgia Senate committee passes bill that bans drop boxes.

[diva77]

It also might violate federal law.

Email blast from FairFight.com (organization founded by Stacey Abrams) 3-1-2023

Last night, in a rushed hearing with little debate, extremist state senators in Georgia passed SB 221 — expanding mass challenges and eliminating drop boxes for absentee voters.

It’s voter suppression, period.

Since the Georgia legislative session began in January, anti-voter lawmakers have introduced one voter suppression bill after another in an attempt to silence Georgians’ voices in future elections. They’ve proposed restrictions to weekend voting, redesigned ballots to make them incompatible with Georgia’s current election system — making it much easier to bring forth mass voter challenges — and unfortunately, much more. These restrictions are not only burdensome to hard working election workers, they are also major obstacles for eligible voters — especially young voters and voters of color.

Here’s what you need to know about the latest anti-voter bill, SB 221:

With over 50 election officials and voters waiting to testify, extremist members of the Senate Ethics Committee chose to pass SB 221 to drastically cut access to drop boxes in the counties that used them most in previous elections. It’s no coincidence that these counties also have the highest proportion of voters of color.

At Fair Fight Action, we’re not backing down — we’re deploying our resources to push back against harmful voter suppression bills in the Peach State. Right now, that means organizing activists to contact their state representatives before SB 221 reaches a vote on the Senate floor.

We need all hands on deck as we work to crush every anti-voter bill that comes down the pipeline. That’s why we’re asking for you to voice your support for Fair Fight Action’s critical work right now

=============
You can sign petition here: https://act.fairfight.com/a/stop-anti-voter-extremists?
and they also ask for donations (very worthy cause)

[riversedge]

1. Sickening that this is happening. So much waste of time, effort and money.

[diva77]

2. And it's cruel. Depriving people of their right to vote.

[sheshe2]

5. They can't win without it.

[RKP5637]

3. FFS!!!!!!! These people are really F'ed up!!!! It's a state I drive quickly through. No gas buying,

no overnight, no food buying, get in and get out.

[diva77]

4. If you're boycotting intentionally, let 'em know!!!

[MichMan]

11. Do you feel better about buying gas and food in Florida, Tennessee or Alabama instead?

They seem a lot redder than Georgia

[RKP5637]

18. Hard to tell anymore, seems to change with the wind! Yep, Georgia is purple now, I guess.

[kimbutgar]

6. But won't this affect repuke votes also?

All those over 80 seniors who don’t drive anymore or those with disabilities. Obviously they don’t realize it will affect their voters also.

[diva77]

9. They balance out the rethug losses caused by drop box shortages by creating voting machine

shortages in non-rethuglican areas so that you'll have long lines in Dem areas and not in rethuglican areas on election day and early voting. They have other nefarious schemes as well.

[gldstwmn]

7. What will the terrorists that like to sit in front of them with their guns do on nights and weekends

[MichMan]

8. Aren't there blue mailboxes everywhere for mailing in ballots ?

That is in addition to the post office picking up people's mail at home. How does this prevent people from casting a ballot?

[diva77]

10. good question - maybe a DU Georgian can answer -- could be that you have to pay for postage

whereas with a drop box you don't plus you have to ensure that the ballot arrives on time

[diva77]

13. Apparently they've made mail -in ballot procedures complicated and easy to get wrong

good info here -- even tho' this was published before drop boxes were dropped altogether:

https://www.gregpalast.com/bad-news-vote-suppression-can-win-in-georgia/
Bad News: Vote Suppression Can Win in Georgia
Absentee Ballots Plunge by a Million

by Greg PalastNovember 7, 2022

[Nov 6, 2022: Atlanta, GA] Let me break the bad news: Absentee ballots voted in Georgia have PLUNGED by A MILLION VOTES — from 1.2 million just before the 2020 election to a paltry 0.2 million, an 83% drop. Why? Because under Gov. Brian Kemp’s new law SB202, mail-in balloting has become insanely difficult, requiring enclosing an ID. And he’s shuttered every absentee drop box except during early polling hours — and all drop boxes are locked in offices. NONE are functioning now. SNIP

[MichMan]

16. I didn't know that ballots dropped in drop boxes had much different requirements than those mailed

[diva77]

17. https://georgia.gov/vote-absentee-ballot

(altho. the instructions aren't yet up to date with the new legislation)

I don't feel qualified to give answers -- hopefully this link will help

[bluestarone]

12. Actually, THIS is something Democrats need to be worried about in EVERY rethug state

We got two years to figure this out once and for all! It's do or die.

[crickets]

14. They just can't stand that GA has turned blue. It's driving them nuts

and they're trying anything they can to sabotage the change in voter demographics. *sigh*

[Duppers]

19. Zactly. nt

[Initech]

15. I'm so fucking tired of these conspiracy theorist lunatics.

[maxrandb]

20. Don't worry! The corporations based in GA will stop donating to Retrumplicans for a few seconds

Nothing will change! The racism, fascism, misogyny, hatred and white supremacy...NONE OF IT...will change, unless and until we make racism, fascism, misogyny, hatred and white supremacy unprofitable to the businesses, corporations and individuals that fund and enable it.