The Department of Justice announced a suit against the state of Georgia Friday alleging that the state’s recently-signed election law is racially discriminatory.
Georgia’s Election Integrity Act was signed in March by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. The law imposes a voter ID requirement, expands early voting in most Georgia counties, requires that counties have at least one absentee voting drop box and shifts more control over election administration to the state legislature.
SCOOP: Justice Department will announce at 11 it is suing Georgia over its new voter suppression law. This is first major action by Biden DOJ to combat GOP voting restrictions https://t.co/54mr2J0SCk
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) June 25, 2021
The lawsuit will be the first major voting rights action taken by the Biden administration, according to The Washington Post. Attorney General Merrick Garland and DOJ Civil Rights Division head Kristen Clarke made the announcement Friday. (RELATED: Less Than 10,000 Georgia Voters Have No Form Of ID Associated With Their Registration)
Opponents of the law, including President Joe Biden, have called it a modern day “Jim Crow” regime. A number of major corporations and interest groups spoke out against its implementation, and Major League Baseball pulled its all-star game out of the state in protest. (RELATED: ‘You Know Better’: Rep. Burgess Owens Flames Dems’ ‘Disgusting And Offensive’ Comparison Of Georgia Election Law To Jim Crow)
Despite left-wing and corporate backlash, polling has shown a plurality of Americans support the law. Following its passage, more red states have introduced similar “election integrity” bills in places like Texas and Florida.