SPLC Action Fund: U.S. Senate Field Hearing Puts Necessary Spotlight on Georgia, Deep South Officials’ Anti-Voter, Anti-Democracy Actions

ATLANTA – Today the U.S. Senate Rules & Administration committee held a field hearing in Georgia on ‘Protecting the Right to Vote: Recent Changes to Georgia Voting Laws and the Need for Basic Federal Standards to Make Sure All Americans Can Vote in the Way that Works Best for Them.’

The SPLC Action Fund’s letter statement to Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ranking Member Roy Blunt (R-MO) that was entered into the hearing record today: https://www.splcactionfund.org/sites/default/files/splc-af-statement-senate-rules-cmte-7-19-21.pdf 

The following statement is by Nancy Abudu, interim strategic litigation director and deputy legal director for the SPLC Action Fund:

“Committees in the U.S. Senate very rarely conduct field hearings. We therefore commend Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar, Rules & Administration member U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, witness U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, and all other participating senators and witnesses for putting a necessary spotlight on Georgia’s recent anti-voter law SB 202.

“Today’s proceedings explained clearly why Georgia’s recent anti-voter law SB 202 was challenged so swiftly in the courts by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and coalition allies and by the federal government – and why passage of federal protections and expansions of voting rights is so desperately needed to prevent further subversion of elections here.

“Unfortunately, Georgia officials are not the only ones in the region using dangerous lies about past elections to attempt to justify making it harder to vote and easier to subvert election results. After legislators in Georgia rushed through the massive anti-voter bill into law without public input or transparency, Florida picked up the mantle, passing another unconstitutional law SB 90. Alabama wasn’t far behind, passing HB 285 which hurts voters with disabilities by banning curbside voting in the state. Louisiana’s Legislature recently called the first modern-day legislative special session to potentially override the governor’s vetoes of anti-voter bills there.

“This continued regional legislative activity against democracy and in advance of the partisan self-interest of politicians who hold power now here absolutely demands a federal response. We reiterate our call on the U.S. Congress to use all legislative options in their toolbox – up to and including eliminating the historically anti-democratic filibuster – to pass the For the People Act and reintroduce and pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act without delay.”