Peach Tree Times

Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Vernon Jones called a lawsuit the U.S. Justice Department said it plans against the state of Georgia over its new voting law unconstitutional.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the lawsuit over SB 202 on June 25, saying the lawsuit is necessary to ensure that "“eligible voters can cast a vote,” Fox News said. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said “this lawsuit is born out of the lies and misinformation the Biden administration has pushed against Georgia’s Election Integrity Act from the start,” Fox News reported

"This lawsuit is unconstitutional. Voting is a states' rights issue. Period. The integrity of our elections is non-negotiable. I’ve been on the frontlines of this fight since the 2020 election and the Biden DOJ will not bully our state into submission, simply for working to restore confidence in our elections," Jones said in a statement.

SB202 allows for 3 weeks of early voting, Sunday voting, 2 days of Saturday voting, and no excuse absentee voting. Georgia’s new law also replaces signature matching with voter ID, in response to 2,400 ballots in 2018 being rejected because of signature issues. In addition, third parties will not be able to give gifts—such as food or drink—to voters in line, which guards against electioneering from activists. Finally, ballot drop boxes will become a permanent fixture in Georgia elections, The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board said. 

Republicans said that the new measures are necessary to protect the integrity of elections and prevent voter fraud. Democrats counter that the laws are designed to suppress voter turnout, especially from voters who historically vote Democrat, NBC News reported.

President Biden recently denounced these measures, stating that this law “makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle,” The Wall Street Journal said.

SB 202 will require voters to present a photo ID to vote such as a driver’s license or a state ID, something that 97% of registered Georgia voters have and can easily obtain. This requirement is highly popular in Georgia. According to a poll conducted for the Atlantic Journal-Constitution in January, 74% of Georgia voters support it, including 63% of black voters, and 89% of those making under $25K/year.

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley recently observed that the Biden Administration may be making a mistake in legally challenging Georgia, because Georgia is acting constitutionally, the Peach Tree Times reported.

"One of the issues that the court may ultimately amplify is that elections were left in the Constitution to the state. Alexander Hamilton actually wrote in the Federalist Papers imagine if the federal government was to take over the management of elections and he basically said we would all object. Well, that's what's happening now in Congress they are trying to essentially federalize elections and I think they are going to have a serious pushback on this lawsuit," Turley told the Peach Tree Times.