Abrams urges federal protection for Ga. voters

Stacey Abrams says new federal protections for voting rights are needed because too many states, including Georgia, are trying to hinder access.

Legislation proposed this year by Republicans in the Georgia’s General Assembly would eliminate or limit automatic voter registration, early in-person voting and mail-in voting, Abrams said. These changes are unnecessary and amount to voter suppression, she told the U.S. House Administration Committee on Thursday, urging members to move forward with a bill that could prevent those changes from becoming law.

“Federal legislation and federal courts have been long necessary to permit actual access to voting for millions of Americans who happen to live in states where we do not have those who believe our voices should be heard,” Abrams told the committee.

The For the People Act is a wide-ranging voting, elections and campaign finance bill that Democrats say would strengthen American democracy and eliminate racial inequities. In addition to mandating early voting and automatic voter registration, it also would restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies, create independent redistricting commissions in every state and close dark money loopholes in federal law.

The measure is such a top priority in the Democratic-controlled U.S. House and Senate that leaders in each chamber assigned it the first available bill number, HR1 and S1. The House could vote on the measure as early as next week, but it has a more uncertain future in the Senate where Republicans might use the filibuster to thwart action.

Republicans on the House Administration Committee complained that Democrats were moving too quickly and not allowing enough time for input and amendments on a measure they describe as taking power away from states to determine how elections are run.

Thursday’s hearing did not include a vote on the bill and is likely to be the only committee discussion prior to floor action. Democrats said further deliberations weren’t necessary since HR1 is similar to a bill the House passed in 2019.

Georgia U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk said there should be more time spent discussing the contents of the bill.

“If this legislation is as important as my good colleagues on the other side of the aisle, the majority, is saying that it is and it is so needed, then we need to have more vetting of this bill other than just one single hearing,” the Cassville Republican said.

Loudermilk was among the members who supported then-president Donald Trump’s efforts to reject Joe Biden’s Electoral College votes in swing states. He asked Abrams to explain why Trump supporters’ actions were any different than steps she took in 2018 to challenge the electoral process when she narrowly lost the governor’s race to Brian Kemp. Ten days after the election, Abrams acknowledged that she lost the election but refused to concede.

Abrams in response said that, unlike Trump, she never tried to throw out legitimate votes in hopes of overturning the outcome of the election.

“There is absolutely no correlation between what I did, which is to increase access to the right to vote, and what he attempted, which is to limit those who are allowed to participate in our elections,” she said.

Abrams was invited to appear before the committee because of her role as founder of Fair Fight Action, a voting rights advocacy organization she created shortly after that 2018 contest. That group has ramped up its opposition to bills filed in Georgia and other states that are perceived as attempts to roll back access to voting.

At the Georgia Capitol on Thursday, protesters opposed these voting restrictions that are rapidly moving through the legislative process. They’re fighting bills to require absentee ID, reduce weekend voting days, restrict drop boxes and eliminate outside election funding.

Dozens of people chanted “Black votes matter” and “protect our vote” as they circled the Statehouse, waving signs saying “stop voter suppression.”