Ocean State Today

Georgia's move to enact new voting laws has received criticism from President Joe Biden, who on March 26 called the then-recently passed Senate Bill 202 "Jim Crow in the 21st Century" in a statement published by CNN. 

Georgia’s Senate Bill 202 institutes a voter-ID requirement, provides free voter ID, promotes ballot drop-box security, forms stricter rules for absentee voting, expands access to early voting—promoting robust protections of election integrity, according to the text of the bill. 

Many observers have asked why other states with histories of stricter voting laws than Georgia have not drawn criticism from the president. Russell Berman, writing in The Atlantic, provides one possible answer.

“Democrats who have won election after election in states such as New York, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island have had little incentive to change the rules that helped them win," Berman wrote.

Rhode Island is among many Northeastern states that limit the time in which opponents can rally a base through policies that prevent most early voting. Berman also states that Rhode Island enacted a substantially restrictive voter-ID law 10 years ago with support from “powerful black elected leaders.” 

This makes Rhode Island one of the 36 states requiring voters to show a form of identification at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The state also requires two witnesses when submitting an absentee ballot. 

Rhode Island has a population of 1 million while Georgia's is nearly 11 million.

Georgia's SB 202 will require a driver’s license or a state ID, which 97% of registered Georgia voters have, according to Heritage Action. The conservative think tank also claims this requirement is highly popular in Georgia.

According to an AJC poll in January, 74% of Georgia voters support the bill, including 63% of black voters and 89% of those making under $25,000 year. 

The law also gives the Georgia State Board of Elections greater authority over local boards, the Associated Press reported. 

"The law gives the state election board new powers to intervene in county election offices and to remove and replace local election officials," the AP wrote.

For voters who are concerned about what passing the SB 202 could mean for early voting, Georgia's secretary of state confirmed there will be 21 days of early voting in Georgia during the 2022 election. Despite this, Biden has expressed his belief that there is no need to add to Georgia's election laws. 

"Recount after recount and court case after court case upheld the integrity and outcome of a clearly free, fair and secure democratic process," he told CNN.

Despite Biden's retort for Georgia's new voting bill, voters nationwide also support a regular ID requirement at the polls. A March 2021 poll by Rasmussen found that 75% of likely U.S. voters believe Americans should be required to show photo ID before being allowed to vote, and 21% are opposed to the requirement. 

Georgia's voting law faces a legal action from multiple organizations, including Black Voters Matter, The New Georgia Project and Rise Inc, the AP reported in March. The organizations allege that Georgia's voting law violates the First Amendment and the 14th Amendment. 

“These unjustified measures will individually and cumulatively operate to impose unconstitutional burdens on the right to vote, to deny or abridge the voting rights of black Georgians, and to deny black voters in Georgia an equal opportunity to participate in the electoral process and elect candidates of their choice,” thee lawsuit reads, according to the AP.