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Republican Lawmaker Accidentally Admits Why He Doesn't Want Voters to Be Able to Vote Absentee During Pandemic
Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, recently announced a stay-at-home order for his constituents in the face of the global pandemic.
One of Kemp's measures included limiting gatherings in Georgia to 10 people, but the governor's rightful caution has thrust the status of Georgia's May 19 primary into uncertainty.
Kemp insists that, at the moment, he doesn't have the power to postpone the state's primary, despite pressure from all of Georgia's GOP lawmakers.
Rather than postpone the election, Georgia Democrats are urging an increase in voter accessibility, namely with a massive expansion of voting by mail.
Soon, all Georgia voters will be mailed absentee ballot request forms by the Secretary of State.
Georgia's Republican House Speaker, David Ralston, didn't even bother hiding why he and his party are against the idea:
"This will be extremely devastating to Republicans and conservatives in Georgia. Every registered voter is going to get one of these. … This will certainly drive up turnout."
Like many states in the South, discouraging voter turnout is a key component to securing election victories for Republicans.
People called Ralston out for saying the quiet part out loud.
Ralston just admitted the dirty secret driving the entire GOP "voter fraud, voter ID" manufactured hysteria. If we… https://t.co/XPUnQfPybI— Jay Bookman (@Jay Bookman) 1585825851.0
So in their own logic bubble they are that they just openly admit the only way they hold power is through voter sup… https://t.co/LGJRrryZL8— Schooley (@Schooley) 1585795589.0
What’s that? Voter suppression tends to favor Republicans? Hmmmm https://t.co/hIZrzlxJPw— Max Goof in Human Form (@Max Goof in Human Form) 1585837583.0
I’ve been telling my Democratic friends trying to ensure people can vote in November that, with just a little educa… https://t.co/yPHSVcpJcK— Bill Kristol (@Bill Kristol) 1585829982.0
Governor Kemp himself infamously relied on voter suppression in his successful gubernatorial bid against Democratic Georgia Representative Stacey Abrams in 2018.
Kemp refused to leave his post as Georgia's Secretary of State, despite the blatant conflict of interest with him overseeing an election in which he was a candidate. Kemp's office delayed the registrations of 53,000 voters without notifying them, and 300,000 voters were wrongly flagged as ineligible to cast their ballots. The measures disproportionately affected the state's Black voters, with whom Abrams was polling at 90 percent.
Abrams lost the race by less than two points.
People noted that loss when hearing Ralston's words.
Stacey Abrams should should be the Governor of Georgia. The only reason that she's not is because the system is set… https://t.co/nbxfgs311F— Ben Rhodes (@Ben Rhodes) 1585796232.0
Just a reminder...Georgia doesn't have stacey abrams because of voter suppression and a blatantly stolen election.… https://t.co/oDZh3reeBx— Kaitlyn Greenidge (@Kaitlyn Greenidge) 1585833514.0
#GOP admits it can't win in a fair election. Stacey Abrams would be GA Governor if it weren't for ratf*ckery. I'm b… https://t.co/FFNSBoJs0X— (((Liz Mitchell))) (@(((Liz Mitchell)))) 1585835618.0
Voter suppression literally kills. Georgia should have Stacey Abrams leading them through the coronavirus pandemic.… https://t.co/3HjKi083iI— Ashleigh Montgomery (@Ashleigh Montgomery) 1585841224.0
Abrams has gone on to form a coalition focused on mobilizing voter turnout across the nation, and is a favorite for a potential Vice President bid in the 2020 election.
Meanwhile, Kemp astonished constituents on Wednesday when he told reporters that Georgia's government had just learned that people could contract and spread the virus without experiencing symptoms. The so-called revelation is what finally convinced Kemp to issue the stay-at-home order.
Asymptomatic transmission had been a known and widely-reported factor for months.