A bill backed by the Georgia GOP t✃hat will overhaul election protocols in the state was sig🌞ned into law Thursday.
The legislation incl🌊udes new restrictions on voting by mail, and increases legislative control over elౠections in the state.
Opponents claim the measure is a needless reaction to former President Trump’s claims that widespread voter fraud in the state lead to his defeat there ꧂in the 2020 election.
Georgia — a traditionally red state — narrowly voted for President Biden and ౠtwo Democratic US Senators amid record-breakꦍing turnout in the last election cycle.
The new law limits the window in which absenౠtee ballots can be requested, and cuts the number of locations and times ballot drop boxes can be accౠessed.
The measure also gives the Republican-led senate and house more control over election administration🅷, including the option to appoint the chair of the election board and remove and replace county election officials.
The new law will also cut the time frameܫ for runoff꧑ elections and ban groups from handing out food and water to voters.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was delivering remarks after signing the bill when he was interrupted by a ten protestors, incl🔯uding two lawmakers, outsideꦜ of his Atlanta office.
Kemp, a Republican, asked an aide “what’s the problem,” before a livestream of the ceremony went da♏rk.
State Rep. Erica Thomas, a Democrat, who is black, was arrested after knocking on Kemp’s door during his speech.
The measure was filled with “voter suppress🎉ion tactics,” a top De🐷mocrat said.
“We are witnessing right now a massive and unabas🙈hed assault on voting 🏅rights unlike anything we’ve seen since the Jim Crow era, Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler said.
With AP wires