Peach Tree Times

While House Resolution 4 (HR 4) will address concerns in a racially charged nation, some critics believe it is a ploy by the Democrats to take voting rights away from individual states such as Georgia.

Georgia's recent new election law, Senate Bill 202, has changed voting laws by extending early voting in most counties, creating no-excuse absentee voting and replacing signature matching with voter ID requirements, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board reported. SB 202 also shortens the time for requesting and submitting mail-in ballots and prohibits voluntary food and drink distribution to voters waiting in line. 

According to the Honest Elections Project, HR 4 would nullify some newly passed voting laws in Georgia and throughout the country. 

President Joe Biden, who supports HR 4, said the new laws in Georgia are "un-American," "sick" and “makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle,” the Wall Street Journal reported. 

HR 4 puts all the new Georgia laws in danger of being overturned if it passes the Senate and House of Representatives. 

According to the Heritage Foundation, HR 4 will allow the Department of Justice to change and override each state's decision on polling locations, voter ID requirements and district line voting relocation while restricting states' ability to defend against litigation.

HR 4, also known as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, wound restore some key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 struck down in 2013 by the U.S. Supreme Court, CBS News said. 

Shelby County v. Holder eliminated Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, intended as a temporary provision to require districts to receive Department of Justice approval, or preclearance, before changing election laws, the Lone Star Standard reported. The 1965 act itself was created to combat Jim Crow legislation and has since become obsolete. This led to the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Section 5, Sections 2 and 3 of the Voting Rights Act ban on voter discrimination and allow states to create preclearance requirements if desired.

"Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his decision of Shelby County v. Holder, as reported by CBS News. 

One of the major criticisms of HR 4 is that it would give the Department of Justice the ability to nullify recently passed voting provisions and bills passed at state levels, such as Georgia's new laws, the Honest Elections Project said. According to the project's poll, 55% of independents and 67% of Republicans say this makes them less likely to support the bill.

The Sunshine Sentinel reports, citing information from Hans von Spakovsky, that alleged claims of voter suppression and discrimination are unfounded, based on U.S. census data. Von Spakovsky says hard numbers regarding voting patterns show that minorities are not being discriminated against at the polls and turnout among black Americans was higher in 2020 than in 2016.

If passed, HR 4 will also allow the federal government to prevent states from enforcing already passed voting bills, such as requiring voter ID, the Honest Elections Project said. It reports that HR 4 will also encourage lawsuits where plaintiffs “sue and settle,” meaning politicians could potentially use their resources to weaken election integrity and change election rules without a vote, making it difficult for states to defend themselves against litigation. 

The Honest Elections Project found 57% of independents and 65% of Republicans say this makes them less likely to support the bill.