On June 25th, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the justice department would be suing the state of Georgia for it’s voting restrictions which, the Justice Department, believes unfairly targets Black voters and prevents them from being able to vote. Voting is a staple of democracy and is a right guaranteed to Americans via the 15th amendment. This lawsuit is the first brought by the Biden administration in an attempt to combat a host of restrictive voting rights laws that are being introduced in states all over the country.
This decision to sue Georgia came on the 8th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act, section 5. In the decision, Shelby County v. Holder, the court ruled that a key portion of the voting rights act was outdated and unconstitutional. Section 5 of the voting rights act required states with a history of discrimination against voters to have their voting rules approved by the federal government. This was beneficial because it prevented states from being able to pass sweeping discriminatory or racist policies that targeted Black and Brown voters without the approval of the federal government. While this would not help voters when voter restrictive, mostly Republican, presidents were in office, this meant that during Democratic presidencies, the federal government would need to approve the laws first. This section of the Voting Rights Act was seen as “the heart of the bill,” and since it has been overruled, many states, including Georgia, have attempted to pass legislation that restricts voting rights.
In March, Governor Brian Kemp signed into law Senate Bill 202. The 98 page bill was expansive and made sweeping changes to voting in Georgia. This bill was meant to infringe on voting rights of Black and Brown voters. It added new voter identification mandates and basically cut in half the amount of time voters had to request a mail-in ballot. Another important change outlined in the law was the provision that made it illegal to pass out food or drinks to voters within 150 feet of a polling place. This was a calculated attack, intending to discourage people who line up to vote in long-lines from making it to cast their ballot. These provisional changes were retaliation for the increase in Black population in Georgia and the way that Black voters voted in the Presidential election and senate run-off elections of 2020.
On top of the lawsuit against Georgia, Merrick Garland’s justice department has committed to defending voting rights. In response to the attempts to prevent voting rights for all, the justice department announced that it would double the number of voter enfranchisement lawyers at the department and would focus its attention on litigation related to voting rights issues.
In response to the lawsuit, Governor Brian Kemp alleged that the lawsuit by the justice department was an effort to carry out Biden’s far-left agenda.”
While this lawsuit is a step in the right direction, SisterLove hopes that the justice department will keep its promise of prioritizing its defense of voting rights. Voting is just that, a right that should be guaranteed to all Americans. Because of attempts by multiple states to infringe on voting rights, particularly targeting Black and Brown voters, this is a step in the right direction. We at SisterLove also demand that those who attempt to prevent people from voting will be held accountable.
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