All eyes turn to Georgia today as the fight between Democrats and Republicans control of the Senate comes down to two Senate run-off elections. Democrats Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock are running against incumbent Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, respectively. In a state that has long been accused of voter suppression polling locations are expected to experience high volume of waiting time.
The idea of voter suppression is nothing new to the south. The late Georgian Congressman John Lewis helped shape the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to help outlaw discrimination to African Americans from voting. Fifty-sex years later it seems that not much has changed in the Peach State. According to the Regulatory Review, “Georgia was the only state that had implemented voting restrictions in every category the Commission examined: strict voter ID requirements; documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; purges of voters from registration rolls; cuts to early voting; and closed or relocated polling locations.”
Even though President-elect Joe Biden won the state of Georgia, without the many actions that the Regulatory Review mentioned above it is possible the numbers would have been even greater against President Trump.
If the Democrats win both Senate races, there will be a 50 to 50 split between them and the Republicans. Senate rules gives the sitting Vice President a vote in the case of a tie, which would allow the Democrats to help the Biden administration goals for at least the next two years.
Obviously, members of the Republican Party are not too keen of those possibilities.
This weekend recordings with President Trump attempting to force GA Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger were released. This transparent action is another example of the GOPs attempt at tampering with the voting process. According to the recorded phone call with Secretary Raffensperger, President Trump asked for the exact amount of votes needed to win the state.
According to USA Today the release of this call could discourage GOP voters from turning out today.
