U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered the Justice Department to drop a lawsuit against a controversial Georgia election law.
The law, passed by Republican lawmakers after President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, was challenged by the Biden administration in June 2021. The lawsuit claimed the law unfairly restricted Black voters’ access to the ballot.
Bondi dismissed these claims as “false allegations of voter suppression.” She emphasized that Georgians deserve secure elections, not misleading narratives about voter suppression that aim to divide people.
The law is part of a broader effort by Republicans to tighten voting rules nationwide following Trump’s loss. It includes a voter ID requirement for mail-in ballots, reduces the time to request mail ballots, and limits ballot drop boxes in densely populated areas of metro Atlanta. Critics argue these measures disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
After the law was signed in March 2021, several major companies criticized it, and Major League Baseball moved its All-Star Game from Atlanta.
Despite this backlash, Georgia officials like Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger welcomed Bondi’s decision. Kemp noted that Georgia has seen record voter turnout since the law’s passage.
However, a recent analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice found that while the number of ballots cast by Black voters increased, their turnout actually declined slightly due to population growth. The impact of the law on voter turnout remains a topic of debate.
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