Peach Tree Times

The conservative Heritage Foundation’s analyst on elections says arguments of voter suppression in Georgia and other states is unfounded.

In a recent commentary, Hans von Spakovksy wrote that census data shows there have been “record registration and turnout numbers ever since Georgia’s voter photo ID law went into effect in the 2008 election. Black and Hispanic turnout skyrocketed compared to the 2004 presidential election.“

He also wrote, “It is, of course, hard to make such deceptive claims when Hispanics made up 11% of the total turnout in the 2020 election, up from only 9% in 2016. But that certainly has not stopped those who reflexively recite the 'voter suppression' mantra to a gullible crowd, including many in the media and corporate executive suites.”

In addition, a recent Wall Street Journal breakdown of census data also undermines arguments of voter suppression by Abrams and other Democrats. Red states with stricter voter rules 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's 75.3% among national leaders for black voting. Both were far ahead of blue state Massachusetts’ 36.4% for black voter turnout.

“Liberals have lambasted Georgia for 'purging' voters and restricting ballot access,” 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."

Von Spakovsky says the census numbers show that Americans are registering to vote with ease, and they come out in high numbers to vote for the candidates that interest them. 

“There is no suppression going on of anyone’s votes anywhere in the country,” he wrote. “Anyone who says otherwise is just making it up.”