Georgia Republicans just can’t help themselves
Georgia Republicans continue to try to make it more difficult to vote in Georgia. They have set their sights on Fulton County, one of the most populated and diverse districts in the state. According to the Associated press, Republicans are attempting to take over elections in that county.
Fulton County is 45.5% white, 44.5% Black, and 7.6% Asian., making whites the minority in the county. That one district accounts for 11% of Georgia’s electorate, and in the 2020 election, President Joe Biden carried 73% of the votes in the district. Former “president” Donald Trump screamed the loudest about Fulton County. In his twisted mind, surely, they must have cheated. Had he bothered to look at the demographics, he would have understood why Biden won. Of all the counties in Georgia, Fulton was the one upon which he fixated, and Georgia Republicans are following suit. They claim a history of problems in Fulton County, including long lines and inefficiency. Republican lawmakers are the ones who close polling places, and residents are forced to converge on the remaining locations that are open. They appointed an independent monitor who spent 270 hours observing from October through January and saw “no evidence of any dishonesty, fraud or intentional malfeasance.” That is not enough for Republicans because they think they know best.
Republicans passed SB 202, which gives them control of the election boards, something both Democrats and local activists feared with passage of the bill. University of Georgia professor of political science Charles Bullock said that it certainly “feeds the Democrats’ concerns that Republicans are going to interfere with the actions of the board.” That’s why they passed the law. Democratic concerns are real, especially when you look at the whole picture The State Election Board is currently comprised of a 3-1 Republican majority, and they would be the ones to appoint a temporary administrator should they decide to remove the Fulton County board. Republicans cry about cheating, but they are the ones who want to cheat. They chose to look at Fulton County because they are assuming it is majority Black, which it is not.
Obviously, Fulton County residents of other races voted for Joe Biden, yet they do not mention DeKalb County, which was 54.8% Black in 2019. They also fail to consider Gwinnett County, which has become more racially diverse in the last few years. They certainly do not look at Cobb, which remains predominantly white, though Joe Biden won that county as well. They are merely sucking up to Trump and continuing the spread of his lies. Republicans have nothing at their disposal but cheating and lies, but they think that is enough to get them through.
This type of behavior from Republicans must end. We can do that by doing everything possible to ensure that every eligible voter gets out to do their civic duty. If they continue to lie and cheat and we still win, perhaps they will sit down somewhere and come up with legitimate ways to attract voters. Until they do, we must give everything we have to ensure that they do not win.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years