CNN’s Ana Cabrera said Wednesday that Georgia’s voting law is “restrictive,” seemingly unaware the chyron on the screen touted “record early voter turnout in Georgia.”
“It is the first major election in Georgia under a restrictive new voting law,” Cabrera said. “That is not stopping record numbers of people from casting their ballots early.”
Georgia passed a series of new voting laws in 2021 which aimed to curb alleged voter fraud. The legislation spurred allegations of suppression, with some labeling the laws as “Jim Crow 2.0.” (RELATED: Georgia’s New Voting Law – Myths And Facts)
“The Election Integrity Act of 2021” expands in-person early voting dates and hours for most counties. The legislation also extends the option for counties to hold voting on both Saturdays of the early voting period, as well as on Sundays. The laws require three weeks of early voting, and increase the hours polls are open.
Voters are also required to show their ID in order to get an absentee ballot, though residents can obtain a free Voter ID card from the state at any county registrar’s office with proper proof of residency and other documentation. Less than 2% of the state’s population lacks a drivers license or state identification card.
Despite claims the new laws would hamper voter turnout, Georgia saw a record-breaking turnout of voters in May ahead of the state’s primary. More than 700,000 Georgians cast an early in-person vote, which is three times the number of early in-person votes cast in the state in 2018, and also higher than in 2020, The Washington Post reported.