Civil rights groups oppose bill seeking limits on early voting

Civil rights groups are opposing a bill that would limit early voting on Sundays in Georgia, saying the proposal is an attempt to suppress turnout from African-American churches.

They urged Georgia lawmakers Monday to stop Senate Bill 363, which would restrict weekend voting to one Saturday or Sunday before an election. The bill also calls for the city of Atlanta to end its elections an hour earlier, at 7 p.m., to match the rest of the state.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, said leaders of the Republican-led General Assembly are trying to hinder “souls to the polls” events organized by congregations to vote on Sundays.

“This is an election year. We know what this is about,” Warnock said Monday during a press conference held to oppose SB 363. “It is about politicians choosing to select their voters rather than the voters being able to select their politicians.”

State legislators who support the bill have said it’s needed to ensure fairness in elections. They say county election officials shouldn’t be able to provide more early-voting hours than are offered in other counties.

But Democrats and other critics of the bill say election opportunities should be expanded, not diminished.

“This is one more attempt to restrict access to Georgia citizens to the sacred right to vote,” said Andrea Young, the executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. “Weekend voting hours are critical to our citizens who work hard and work long hours.”

The bill, which is pending in the Georgia House, could receive final votes before the session ends Thursday.