Sanford Bishop: “This month marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of our dear friend and beloved colleague John Lewis. Sadly…”

“This month marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of our dear friend and beloved colleague John Lewis. Sadly, while we reflect upon his legacy, there are efforts underway in State Houses across the nation to turn back the clock and erect barriers to voter participation in elections. We all know that the premise behind these efforts is a lie--namely, that the 2020 election was stolen and that there was rampant voter fraud. In my home state of Georgia, these falsehoods led to the passage and ultimate enactment of Senate Bill 202, which was given the misleading name, ``the Georgia Civics Renewal Act.'' The lie also provided the impetus for the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6. The measures being put forward in states like Georgia reduce voter access to the polls under the guise of protecting the vote. Georgia's SB 202 limits drop boxes, imposes ID requirements on absentee voting, restricts early voting on weekends, allows state officials to circumvent the work of election officials if they do not like the results they are seeing, and even makes it a crime to offer food and water to voters waiting in line. It is a ruse that disproportionately impacts voters whose voices have too often been silenced. Why? Because those voices--African American voices in Georgia--made all the difference in 2020. The integrity of our elections is enhanced by greater voter participation--not less. As Martin Luther King, Jr.…”