Peach Tree Times

Georgia state Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Savannah) seems to have had a change of heart when it comes to the state's recent reform of the voter-ID law.

"I have never been opposed to voter ID," Warnock said in June, as reported by NBC. "And in fact, I don't know anybody who is — who believes people shouldn't have to prove that they are who they say they are. But what has happened over the years is people have played with common-sense identification and put into place restrictive measures intended not to preserve the integrity of the outcome, but to select certain groups."

Warnock’s political pivot comes as Georgia voters have let it be known that they believe mail-in ballots should have voter-ID restrictions attached, according to recent poll. As previously reported by the Peach Tree Times, 59% of independent Georgia voters support the implementation of voter-ID laws.

The Washington Times reports that Warnock has called voter-ID laws "unnecessary and discriminatory" in the past. The publication said Warnock's claim that he never opposed voter-ID laws was a lie, citing an op-ed he authored in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution that said Georgia lawmakers were usurping voting rights with the ID law. 

The Heritage Foundation said that three months ago, the Georgia senator criticized the state's new election law that requires proof of identity — whether a drivers’ license or state ID number, the last four digits of their Social Security number or a utility bill — to request an absentee ballot. 

The Democrats’ election overhaul bill would have required giving voters an option to give a sworn statement instead of producing an ID for in-person voting. It also would have barred states from requiring voters to share more than a signature in a request for an absentee ballot.

Warnock joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to hash out a revised voting rights bill in place of the For the People Act after it failed to clear the Senate, The Washington Post reported.

Democrats are still attempting to gain passage of H.R. 4. The Heritage Foundation reports that H.R. 4, or the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, would allow the Department of Justice to override every state’s ability to change polling locations, require voter ID, and relocate voting district lines making it more difficult for states to defend themselves against litigation.