Georgia governor signs election bills into law News
© WikiMedia (Ken Lund)
Georgia governor signs election bills into law

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed controverial voting restrictions into law Thursday following passage in the senate by a vote of 34-19.

The bill enforces a rule for absentee voters to provide more documentation for verification, replacing the previous signature verification process. It also cuts down early voting from three weeks to one. The bill also subjects county election management to the State Election Board whose chair will be selected by the Georgia General Assembly.

Rep. Carolyn Hughley has called the new law “Jim Crow 2.0.” Some of the amendments, such as the one barring the public from offering food and water to waiting voters, were described as unnecessary.

During the signing of the law, Rep. Park Cannon was arrested outside of Kemp’s office after she demanded that the public be entitled to witness the signing in of the law.

The move is part of a series of stricter election laws that the Georgia Senate has recently passed with the supposed aim to prevent voter fraud.