A proposal to stop voting on Sunday – a popular option among black voters for “Souls to the Polls” religious events – was one of the most controversial changes considered at the state assembly, but the package was signed by Governor Brian Kemp on Thursday . ended up increasing the face-to-face vote over the weekend.
Republicans, in Georgia and elsewhere, have framed the pressure to restrict voting laws as promoting “electoral integrity” and addressing concerns about “rampant electoral fraud” – despite the scarcity of evidence that it is a widespread problem.
“Are you going to literally make public policy based on a lie, based on the feeling that some people have that things have not gone as they should?” Warnock said. “Is this how we make public policies?”
Warnock, who along with his fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff, defeated a Republican senator in the second round of January following the defeat of former President Donald Trump to Joe Biden in the state.
Warnock linked these victories to the recently approved $ 1.9 trillion stimulus agreement that was negotiated and approved by party lines, and reiterated his calls for the Senate to pass legislation to increase access to the vote – and to change the obstruction if required.
“The issue of voting rights is about democracy itself,” he said. “It is much bigger than any Senate rule.”
State Representative Park Cannon was arrested after being among a group of protesters gathered in front of the governor’s office when Kemp signed the bill into law. Captured video footage her knocking on the door and being arrested and forcibly removed from outside the governor’s office. Warnock, a pastor, said Cannon is a member of his congregation and that he visited her last night while she was in prison.
“We all owe a debt of gratitude to her, in the real sense, for standing up,” he said.