Two provisions of Georgia's 2021 election integrity law will undergo trial in federal court beginning next week as part of an ongoing endeavor by the left to dismantle election security measures in the state.
Georgia's Republican-controlled legislature enacted SB 202, known as the Election Integrity Act of 2021, in response to the 2020 election.
Two provisions of the election law will be scrutinized. One provision stipulates that absentee ballot applications cannot be pre-filled with voter information. The other provision specifies that entities sending absentee ballot applications must mail them exclusively to individuals who have not yet requested, received, or cast an absentee ballot in the corresponding primary, election, or runoff.
The lawsuit against the provisions was initiated by VoteAmerica, the Voter Participation Center, and the Center for Voter Information.
In September, Judge J.P. Boulee ruled in favor of the state on whether the law was overly expansive and if it infringed on the plaintiffs' freedom of association, granting them summary judgment. However, he rejected their motion for summary judgment regarding whether the provision violates the plaintiffs' freedom of speech. This unresolved issue will be addressed in court on Monday.
Several other leftist groups have initiated seven separate lawsuits challenging various aspects of the election integrity law, which are currently pending.
Joe Biden characterized the policies as “Jim Crow in the 21st Century.” Numerous criticisms were centered on the inaccurate assertion that mandating voters to present identification to verify their identity constitutes “voter suppression.” This smear campaign resulted in dozens of corporations ‘boycotting’ the state of Georgia.
Another misconception was the assertion that the legislation would curtail voting hours prematurely. Contrary to this claim, the law actually extended in-person early voting periods and hours for the majority of counties.
