Georgia’s election system, once touted as the nation’s best, is under attack from all sides ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
Vice President Kamala Harris slammed the state’s “anti-voter” laws on Tuesday during her visit to Atlanta, which she called “ground zero” for voter rights. Harris specifically addressed Senate Bill 202, which requires photo ID for absentee ballots, limits the use of drop boxes, and makes it illegal to provide food or water to people in voting lines.
The Biden administration unsuccessfully tried to have a federal court invalidate some aspects of the law. Democrats claim that the law amounts to voter suppression, despite record early voting during the 2022 elections.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger issued a statement attacking Harris’ claims, defending the state’s “national leader in elections” status. Meanwhile, a federal court trial began on Tuesday, challenging most in-person voting in Georgia on the grounds of possible vulnerabilities in Dominion Voting Systems.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers claimed that Georgia’s election systems are “profoundly insecure, unreliable, and untrustworthy” and have ignored warnings. Raffensperger’s office dismissed these claims as “conspiracy theories” and “overblown rhetoric,” which could pave the way for a “disaster” that is “waiting to happen in 2024.”
The Peach State is expected to be one of the most hotly contested states in the presidential race. While President Joe Biden narrowly won Georgia over former President Donald Trump in 2020, both sides are gearing up for a tough battle. Despite the controversy, Georgia did see record early voting during the 2022 elections and finished counting election results well before many other states.
