A federal judge in Georgia has issued a temporary block on a provision in the state’s voting law that prohibits individuals from providing food and water to voters waiting in line on election day. Judge J.P. Boulee also halted the requirement for voters to include their date of birth on absentee ballots. However, penalties remain in place for individuals who provide food and water within 150 feet of the voting location. This ruling is based on the lack of a clear boundary for the provision and the absence of evidence that ballots without date of birth were fraudulent.
The Election Integrity Act, passed in 2021, included various provisions to strengthen voting rules, such as voter identification requirements, an extended early voting period, and the availability of a ballot drop box in every county. The law sparked controversy and received criticism from Democrats, as well as major corporations like Major League Baseball and Coca-Cola. The MLB even relocated its 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver in response. However, despite the criticism, Georgia experienced record turnout in the primary and general elections in 2022, leading Republicans to argue that the criticism was unfounded.
Numerous civil rights and voting rights groups filed a lawsuit challenging the law, and while the judge blocked the provision related to food and water distribution and the inclusion of date of birth on absentee ballots, he rejected claims that the law denied voters with disabilities meaningful access to absentee voting.
In a separate ruling, a federal judge in Texas struck down a provision in the state’s election law that required mail voters to provide the same identification number they used when registering to vote. The judge deemed this requirement a violation of the U.S. Civil Rights Act and concluded that it led to a significant increase in rejected mail ballots. The U.S. Department of Justice had previously challenged this provision.
Overall, these rulings affirm that states cannot impose unlawful or unnecessary requirements that disenfranchise eligible voters. Several election integrity bills have been passed in GOP-controlled states since the 2020 election, contributing to ongoing debates surrounding voting rights and access.
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