FiveThirtyEight - It's Not Just GA: More Than A Dozen Other States Are Trying To Take Power Away...

[DonViejo]

APR. 13, 2021, AT 6:00 AM

It’s Not Just Georgia: More Than A Dozen Other States Are Trying To Take Power Away From Local Election Officials

By Nathaniel Rakich

Georgia’s new election restrictions have garnered no shortage of criticism thanks to provisions that directly impose additional burdens on voters, such as an ID requirement for absentee voting or a ban on distributing food or water to people waiting in line to vote. But equally importantly, the law opens up the possibility for elections to become more nakedly partisan.

In essence, the law provides a mechanism to transfer power currently vested in bipartisan or nonpartisan county election boards to the majority-Republican1 State Election Board by giving the board the authority to suspend local election officials in up to four counties at a time and appoint a temporary replacement. County boards’ powers include the ability to decide challenges to voters’ eligibility and certify election results, meaning that a state-appointed election czar could theoretically invalidate a fair election by refusing to certify the results and throwing out thousands of supposedly questionable votes (the new law also allows people to challenge an unlimited number of votes). However, the State Election Board can only suspend local election officials after a hearing that must take place at least 30 days after the initial complaint, so in practice there probably would not be enough time after an election for partisan hardliners to coopt these powers and overturn an election.

A more realistic concern that Democrats have, however, is that the proviso could be used to target heavily Democratic, heavily nonwhite jurisdictions such as Fulton County, which includes much of metro Atlanta. A state appointee would have the power to condense polling places in these counties and offer less early voting than locals are accustomed to, disproportionately curtailing voting access in bluer parts of the state. The removal clause could also be used to retaliate against local officials who go further to promote voting than state officials would like, as DeKalb County did in the 2020 general election when it mailed absentee-ballot applications to all registered voters. (Such mass unsolicited mailings of absentee-ballot applications are now prohibited by the law as well.)

And importantly, attempts to diminish local control of elections are not limited to Georgia. As part of the hundreds of election restrictions Republican legislators have proposed so far this year, at least 13 other states have passed or are considering bills that would handcuff local election officials (in some cases, literally).

more
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/its-not-just-georgia-more-than-a-dozen-other-states-are-trying-to-take-power-away-from-local-election-officials/

[Maraya1969]

1. I couldn't understand the absentee voter ID law so I looked it up and I don't

understand why it is so terrible. If you don't have a license or a state ID you can put in the last 4 digits of your phone number according to CBS.

Can someone tell me if I am missing something?

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. If you have a state ID, you must include the correct number on your ballot request/return

The problem is, GA ID’s have TWO numbers on them. If you put the wrong number on the form, your ballot is rejected.

Now, folks who are tech savvy can submit their ballot request electronically, and include a photo of their ID.

It all sounds so very reasonable, it was designed to appear that way for court challenges.

In reality, these are subtle literacy tests designed to create hurdles and reduce the number of ballots that are accepted.

[Fiendish Thingy]

2. And yet there are those who say HR1 is dead, so let's just focus on GOTV for 2022

There is a pervasive, naive fantasy that, if Dems work really, really, really hard in 2022, they can overcome Republican voter suppression and gerrymandering, retain control of the house, and actually add Dem seats in the senate.

The Dem leadership knows that, without HR1, Dems lose their majorities for a decade or more, and the GOP state legislatures ensure that their candidate is installed in the WH in 2024, regardless of the will of the people.

Schumer knows it
Pelosi knows it
Schiff knows it
Klobuchar knows it
Clyburn knows it
Obama knows it

Those who deny this reality have called me defeatist for this perspective- I’m merely pointing out that The fight isn’t in 2022, the fight is NOW. HR1 must pass by this fall to prevent the gerrymandering that will put the house in GOP control in 2022 before a single vote is cast. Without HR1, focusing on 2022 will be too little, too late.

[HUAJIAO]

4. On the money....

I've suspected what was coming since reagan...

[RVN VET71]

5. It's like watching the front facade of a beautiful building being rebuilt

and ignoring the crumbling collapse of the building behind it.

I feel very uncertain, not totally in despair, but uncertain about the future of our Democratic-Republic. Biden is giving us all a vision of what we can, acting together, accomplish. But the Fat Man who received votes of approval from 72,000,000 of us last November is still in power over them and over the GOP. SCOTUS is eager to do the bidding of the plutocrats and pseudo-christian hegemonists -- fascists all. And Manchin and Cinnamon (sic) seem desirous of using their otherwise insignificant selves to destroy America by refusing to quash the filibuster. And destroy it they well may.

We need victories in 2022. And we need substantial gains in the Senate to shut up those 2 fascist outliers and make their votes unnecessary. Without that, the Republic is in serious jeopardy. And without HR1, we will likely be deprived of those victories.

[KS Toronado]

7. Getting rid of gerrymandering alone will hurt reQublicans dearly

and they know it, that's why they'll fight it tooth & nail. Wish HR1 included a provision for all elections to be
primarily mail-out & mail-in ballots only.

[Bettie]

11. HR 1 is the single most important piece of legislation right now

and it is also a key to protecting civil rights because once they get control of things, a lot of us will no longer be allowed to vote.

Honestly, I'm a little bit surprised that there hasn't been a law passed in one of these states explicitly saying "only white men can vote".

[dlk]

6. Giving legislatures authority to remove or replace election officials is, by far, the biggest threat

Handing state legislatures the authority to essentially overturn election results has absolutely nothing to do with “election security.” This is an authoritarian power grab by Republicans to ensure permanent rule, and they’re doing it proudly, in broad daylight.

[3825-87867]

8. These states need to be named

and the people need to be informed as to the ramifications. In a real society, this would be the job of the press.

But in America, 21st Century, the press is complicit with wealthy interests rather than the people's.

Eat, drink and be merry - now. For tomorrow(s) we get screwed. And those who could stop this, don't care. Do you?*


*Melania, et al.

[BobTheSubgenius]

9. This is so blatant and partisan that it's hard to believe that it's happening.

Not only that, it's metastasizing , as well.

[uponit7771]

10. K&R

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

12. K&R