In the last decade, the states and jurisdictions previously covered by section 5 have collectively passed at least 20 laws that restrict voting, according to data from the Voting Rights Lab, which tracks state legislation. Photograph: Robin Rayne/ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock Georgia Republican representatives passed a bill to restrict ballot drop boxes, require more ID for absentee voting and limit weekend early voting days. “The small changes are the ones that are deceptively suppressive,” said Nsé Ufot, a Georgia activist who started the meeting observation effort, called Georgia Peanut Gallery, in 2016 when she led the New Georgia Project. They have also closed polling places, forcing voters to travel long distances to cast ballots. States once covered by section 5 pre-clearance have enacted new laws requiring voters to show ID, cutting early voting, making it harder to vote by mail, aggressively removing voters from the rolls and implementing maps that blunt the electoral power of Black and Hispanic voters. The decision unleashed a wave of voter suppression across the country. States like Georgia were now free to implement changes without federal government approval. In a 5-4 ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the Voting Rights Act’s formula used to determine which cities and states had to submit their election law changes was outdated and unnecessary. In 2013, the US supreme court gutted the pre-clearance requirement in a landmark case called Shelby county v Holder. The Department of Justice would call community groups to find out how proposed changes would impact them, Butler said. The pre-clearance process meant that any change in voting – no matter how small – would have to be approved by the justice department before it went into effect to ensure it didn’t hurt minority communities. Georgia was one of nine states required to get any proposed changes to its elections approved by the federal government because of its history of racism and voting discrimination. We don’t get every one.” When they can’t get to a meeting, they request meeting minutes, which can be spotty.īefore 2013, this kind of monitoring by activists wasn’t necessary. “It’s a daunting task but we try to stay abreast,” said Butler, who leads a civil rights group called the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda.
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