- Mayor Bottoms said the MLB’s decision to withdraw the Game of the Stars from Atlanta would severely affect the area.
- “Just as the elections have consequences, so do the actions of the elected,” she wrote.
- Republican Party Governor Brian Kemp criticized the controversial new voting bill.
- See more stories on the Insider business page.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said on Friday that Major League Baseball’s decision to withdraw Georgia’s All-Star Game because of its controversial new voting law is “likely” to trigger further action against the state.
While talking loudly against the law on Twitter, Bottoms emphasized the economic damage that such a reaction will cause across Georgia.
“Just as the elections have consequences, so do the actions of the elected,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, the removal of GA’s MLB All Star game is probably the first of many dominoes to fall, until the unnecessary barriers placed to restrict access to the urn are removed.”
She added: “The boycotts in GA will affect the metropolitan area of Atlanta more strongly and will have a ripple effect across the state. Small businesses, corporations that support our communities and ordinary workers will suffer. It is not too late to fix this ship that is sinking.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said on Friday that the decision to move the All-Star Game and the MLB Draft was “the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport”.
“The Major League Baseball fundamentally supports the right to vote for all Americans and is opposed to restrictions on the ballot box,” he said in a statement. “Fair access to voting continues to have the unwavering support of our game.”
Since the law was passed on March 25, large corporations, including Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola under pressure from politicians and activists, have spoken out more vehemently against their restrictive measures.
Conservative law tightens electoral rules in the state, limiting hanging boxes, enforcing voter identification requirements, blocking the use of mobile voting vans, and even prohibiting the distribution of water and food to voters waiting in line, among other measures .
Republican Party Governor Brian Kemp, who signed the bill, flatly rejects claims that it enforces crackdown on voters and said the law makes it “easy to vote and difficult to deceive”.
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On Friday, the governor attacked the MLB decision on Fox News, accusing the organization of adhering to “culture cancellation”.
Kemp continued to express his discontent with the situation on Twitter, attacking prominent Democrats.
“This attack on our state is the direct result of repeated lies by [President] Joe Biden and [former Georgia state House Minority Leader] Stacey Abrams on a bill that expands access to the polls and ensures the integrity of our elections, “he wrote.” I will not back down. Georgians will not be intimidated. We will continue to fight for safe, accessible and fair elections. “
Abrams, who was narrowly defeated by Kemp in the 2018 state governor race and could run against the acting governor in 2022, said on Friday that she was “disappointed” in the action, but was “proud” of the support of MLB to voting rights.
“Like many Georgians, I am disappointed that the MLB is relocating the All-Star game; however, I commend the players, owners and the League Commissioner for speaking out,” she said in a statement. “As I said, I respect boycotts, although I do not want to see Georgian families harmed by lost jobs and events. Georgians affected by the crackdown on voters will be harmed when opportunities go to other states. We must not abandon the victims of the Republican Party malice and lies – we must stay together. “
Former President Barack Obama on Saturday praised the decision, making a nod to the late baseball icon Hank Aaron, who faced racial threats throughout his professional baseball career.
“Congratulations to the MLB for taking a stand in the name of voting rights for all citizens,” he wrote. “There is no better way for America’s pastime to honor the great Hank Aaron, who has always set an example.”
Until Saturday, the MLB did not reveal the new host city for the 2021 All-Star Game.