Atlanta Mayor Works To Blunt Impact Of GA’s New Voting Restrictions Through Executive Order

Atlanta, Georgia Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an executive order on Tuesday evening that aims to “mitigate” the impact of state Republicans’ new law that makes it more difficult for people to vote.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1368479
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“This Administrative Order is designed to do what those in the majority of the state legislature did not—expand access to our right to vote,” she said.

A good reaction.

More needed.

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Couple of questions, one rhetorical and one serious:

  1. How long until the GQP in GA takes her to court for interfering with their law?

  2. If she’s up for re-election as Mayor (and if she’s running for another term), could this be construed as interference, much like Kemp’s interference with the election when he was SoS and won as governor over Stacy?

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Yes, she is up … and running.

If she wins in November, it will be her last of two terms as Mayor.

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Excellent response!! Go Mayor.

OT: Finally have appt for the vaccine on Thursday! Whew!!!

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I think she is simply doing her job as mayor. Keeping people informed. Of course in the process she is going to keep Atlanta voters at a fever pitch which can’t hurt in 2022.

The law is squarely aimed at urban minorities. If we didn’t have a Federalist dominated Federal Court system it wouldn’t survive scrutiny but with the McConnell installed judges and justices it just might.

What the Mayor is doing is in the best tradition of American politics.

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If all the urban areas with large numbers of minorities in GA enact the same measures, they might actually be able to gain an advantage over the red areas, assuming the red areas don’t do anything to help their voters deal with the new laws.

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Great, normality (more or less) is just around the corner for you. We have had both and we are getting together in our homes with friends who have done the same sans masks. We are still only doing takeout or eating in outdoor venues but we prefer those options anyway.

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Good job…now we sit back and wait for the male white legislature to slap back and show the country what hypocrites they are.

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No surprise here. When they first tried to require photo I.D. in Pennsylvania groups immediately organized to help people get one. So be careful about those unintended consequences, you damn GOP vultures. You used to talk so disdainfully about community organizers that it’s ironic you’ve become that yourselves.

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While we focus on the provisions of the Georgia law (and the others before Red State legislatures) that make it more difficult to vote, we run the risk of ignoring the real threat to democracy - turning the entire election process over to the legislature with no executive or judicial controls.

I am waiting for some state to simply propose that the people’s “vote” is “advisory” only and that the legislature shall determine who is “elected”. To paraphrase Berthold Brecht, “The government having lost confidence in the people, it shall dissolve the people and choose a new one.”

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Nicely done. Not just talking about the problems created but acting to mitigate them with targeted solutions.

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“Community organizers”

Like Moses, Jesus and Mohammed?

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Well, they have six months in GA to get that organization together. Plenty of time.

Not like the Spring election last year in WI where they let us know a couple of weeks ahead about demanding in-person voting at the height of the pandemic.

Stacy is probably already on it.

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You may be surprised how much it means to you to actually have the goop in your arm, how much you’ll really start to imagine a more open, connected life. We’ve coped, and that’s a good response, but it’s been a sad and scary year. Maybe we’ll have Fourth of July burgers and fireworks this year, and a real Christmas dinner around a table. :pray:

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My second is two weeks from today. Two weeks after that, the efficacy is maximum. My trip to the farm is in five weeks. So much to do; so little time.

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All somewhat controversial in their times.

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Speaking truth to power is always controversial.

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Wouldn’t y’all just love to be a fly on the wall when Stacy and the mayor get together to plan this all out?

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Expect Georgia GOP to seek gag order on all communications regarding how to meet voting requirements … arguing that it constitutes unauthorized voter assistance which may seek to sway the voter’s choice… and further contending that if the voter can’t figure it out on their own … then they ought not vote.

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