Peach Tree Times

Democratic allegations of voter suppression both before the November 2020 election and since, with states tightening voting practices rushed into place during the COVID-19 pandemic, are crumbling before the facts, according to some analysis.

Recent voting data released by the Census Bureau, and broken down by the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, shows that red states with stricter voter rules in place for the November elections saw no significant drop in minority voting. In fact, black turnout in Mississippi, at 72.8%, was a close second to blue state Maryland at 75.3% among national leaders for black voting. Both were far ahead of blue Massachusetts’ 36.4% for black voter turnout.

“Liberals have lambasted Georgia for ‘purging’ voters and restricting ballot access,” the Wall Street Journal editors noted. “But Georgia had a smaller black-white voting gap than Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia and California – all states controlled by Democrats.”

Moreover, allegations of voter suppression with the changes in Georgia voting laws post-election – which President Joe Biden called “Jim Crow on steroids” – are false as well, according to an analysis by the Heritage Foundation.

One argument pushed by Democrats is that the new Georgia law restricts voting to suppress African-American votes. The truth, according to Heritage, is that the law makes no distinctions based on race.

“Comparisons to Jim Crow laws, which included segregation, poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and literacy tests, are historically ignorant and diminish the suffering caused by such laws,” the analysis said.

One false claim repeated by some progressives is that the new Georgia law ends early voting on Sundays, while the law actually allows for early voting on Sundays.

Another argument, that the law’s voter ID requirements are extreme and discourage voting, is not supported by the facts, some analysts say.

First, the Georgia law makes exceptions for those without ID – they can provide their Social Security numbers.  

“Furthermore, ID requirements do not suppress voters, as studies have shown,” the Wall Street Journal analysis said. “Claims that African-Americans are unable or unwilling to obtain identification are insulting and have no factual basis.”

Another false claim, conservatives argue, is that the Georgia law bans access to water for voters while waiting in line.

This section of the law in question is intended to protect voters from political solicitation within 150 feet of a voting building. It allows voters to access water from an unattended receptacle, and voters are permitted to bring water with them. However, voters cannot directly receive water from another individual.