Last week, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed a sweeping election reform bill into law that strengthens the state's election system. Unsurprisingly, the law was immediately met with criticism from those on the left including President Joe Biden and woke corporate interests who easily caved to pressure. During his first press conference since becoming president (yes, his first), Joe Biden made the ludicrous assertion that Georgia and other states hoping to enact election reforms make "Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle.”  

The truth is something completely different, which left even the liberal almost-always-defending-Biden Washington Post to conclude:  

As Governor Kemp pointed out, President Biden clearly didn't read the bill before making that statement.

“It is obvious that neither President Biden nor his handlers have actually read SB 202, which I signed into law yesterday. This bill expands voting access, streamlines vote-counting procedures, and ensures election integrity. There is nothing ‘Jim Crow’ about requiring a photo or state-issued ID to vote by absentee ballot – every Georgia voter must already do so when voting in-person. President Biden, the left, and the national media are determined to destroy the sanctity and security of the ballot box. As Secretary of State, I consistently led the fight to protect Georgia elections against power-hungry, partisan activists. As Governor, I won’t back down from keeping Georgia elections secure, accessible, and fair.”

Biden's statements reflected the approach that most of the media have taken when covering the new law.

It’s a simple truth that the GA law expanded voter access compared to any pre-pandemic election. That’s hard to dispute with actual facts. But no one who read the coverage would possibly come away with that conclusion.

— AG (@AGHamilton29) March 31, 2021

And it wasn't just national news outlets btw. Here was a correction in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The article was about how Tyler Perry (the director) thought the law was unconstitutional. pic.twitter.com/SIt0ccMPwR

— AG (@AGHamilton29) March 31, 2021

Here are some facts about Georgia's new election law:

- The law expands mandatory early voting hours. This will be especially noticeable in rural areas of the state. Source

- The law expands mandatory and optional early voting days. An additional Saturday of voting is now required by the law, and an additional Sunday is now available as an option. Source

- The law's voter I.D. requirement does not suppress the vote. 97% of voters already comply with the requirement, and anyone who does not have a Georgia I.D. can obtain one for free. Source

- The law specifically allows for providing water to voters who are in line. Source

- The law requires polling places who have problems with long lines to take action to prevent the problem in the future. Source

- The law specifically provides for ballot drop boxes and security precautions to prevent tampering with them. Drop boxes were not previously part of the state's election laws. Source

- The law implements a new review process that will allow the state election board to ensure that local election officials are complying with state laws. The review process has strict guidelines to prevent abuse of the board's authority. Source

- The law requires counties to provide better notice of the schedule for logics and accuracy testing. The secretary of state's office will also have a master list of every county's schedule. Source

- The law no longer allows localities from taking non-government funds, grants, or gifts. The board of elections will be required to come up with a process to distribute private donations in the future. Source

- The law makes changes to absentee ballot counting procedures and request deadlines to ensure that the counting of ballots is done in a timely and efficient manner moving forward. Source 

You can read the entire bill here.

The bottom line: Georgia's new election law expands voter access while protecting the integrity of the state's elections.

The American people deserve to know the truth about Georgia's election law. The Left's disinformation campaign will only serve to further sow distrust in the American election system and hurt Georgia workers.

President Biden is spreading a lie about Georgia's election law.

And he's using that lie to encourage a boycott that will harm workers and families.

— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) April 1, 2021

Biden won Georgia by 12,000 votes and he thanks them by urging businesses to economically hurt Georgia's workers over a law duly-approved-and-signed by their elected representatives to protect the integrity of Georgia's elections. https://t.co/wfJP2whVZE

— Andrew Clark (@AndrewHClark) April 1, 2021

Articles and Resources:

- Myth v. Fact: The Georgia Election Law via Heritage Action for America

- Biden’s Election-Reform Deception by Karl Rove via The Wall Street Journal

- Biden falsely claims the new Georgia law ‘ends voting hours early’ by Glenn Kessler via The Washington Post

- What Does Georgia's New Voting Law SB 202 Do? by Stephen Fowler via Georgia Public Broadcasting

- Woke and Weak CEOs by The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board

- Corporate America’s ‘Big Lie’ by Kimberly Strassel via The Wall Street Journal

- Senate Bill 202 Voted Out of House via Georgia Senate Republican Caucus

- Gov. Brian Kemp: Georgia's election law – Ignore Dems' false attacks. Here are the facts about bill I signed by Governor Brian Kemp via Fox News

- White House Doubles Down On Lies About Georgia’s Election Law by Jordan Davidson via The Federalist

- The Left’s “Jim Crow” Rhetoric Is Absurd, Insulting, and Dishonest by Hans von Spakovsky via The Heritage Foundation