Faith & Freedom Coalition and Frederick Douglass Foundation Decry Comparison of GA Voting Laws to Jim Crow

DULUTH, Ga. – Following the recent passage of an election integrity bill in Georgia, President Joe Biden referred to the legislation as the “Jim Crow in the 21st century” and expressed his support of the Major League Baseball’s decision to move the All-Star Game from Georgia to Colorado. The President’s comparison of Georgia’s SB 202 to Jim Crow is both misleading and hypocritical on all accounts. 

Georgia’s new voting legislation entails changes to absentee voting, early voting, vote counting, and other changes affecting the local elections offices and State Election Board. Democrats, in accordance with President Biden, are retaliating against the bill and claiming it targets and suppresses Black voters mainly due to the requirement of a photo or state-issued identification. 

“A civil debate about voting rights is an important conversation to have, but comparing Georgia’s election reform legislation to Jim Crow is insulting to my Black ancestors who suffered through those dehumanizing segregation laws. Comparing absentee ballot changes and ID requirements to banning Black people from restaurants and drinking fountains is absurd. It’s dramatic hyperbole like this that is degrading our civil discourse in America and harming our ability to make progress on real racial unity. If the Democrats keep throwing out the word “racism” so loosely about everything that they oppose, the word will continue to lose its meaning,” commented Michael Lancaster, Georgia state director of the Frederick Douglass Foundation.

The object of Jim Crow was to deny Black voters their rights and institute voting as an all-white affair. Efforts to enforce this suppression included knowledge tests, poll taxes, and the allowance of only white poll workers. Contrary to the President’s accusation, Georgia’s recent voting legislation increases the opportunity to vote for all Georgians by mandating precincts hold at least 17 days of early voting and requiring that the voting locations remain open for at least eight hours. In an interview with ESPN, Biden falsely claimed the Georgia law ended voting hours early. Ironically, Georgia’s voting laws allow voting to be much more accessible than states like Biden’s home state of Delaware, which currently does not allow any in-person early voting, and Colorado, the new location of the MLB’s All-Star Game.

“The hypocrisy of President Biden’s spin on the election integrity legislation in Georgia is staggering,” said Timothy Head, executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. “The disingenuity of the Democratic agenda, led by President Biden, remains unchecked as they continue to mislead the American people on the intent and implementation of this voting legislation. Not only will this bill expand access to the polls, but it benefits all of Georgia’s voters. We continue to support efforts in Georgia and across the country to ensure secure elections for all Americans.”

The Faith & Freedom Coalition works to promote the values of liberty at the federal and state levels. To learn more about the Faith & Freedom Coalition, visit www.ffcoalition.com. 

About the Faith & Freedom Coalition

The Faith and Freedom Coalition is a national grassroots movement of over 2 million conservatives and people of faith in support of time-honored values, stronger families, and individual freedom. Learn more about Faith & Freedom at www.ffcoalition.com.