Georgia, Discussed.
Georgia On My Mind
The all-too-cozy relationship between the media and the Democratic Party (but, I repeat myself) is on display for all to see with respect to the recently passed bill in Georgia designed to reform the manner in which Georgians vote. After a 2018 election in which now Governor Brian Kemp won by 55,000 votes over Stacey Abrams (an election she never conceded; remember that when you think about looney Trump not conceding) and the recent Presidential election in which Joe Biden won the state by about a fifth (11,779 votes) of Kemp’s victory margin, there was considerable angst in both parties about how elections were run, how votes would be counted and by when. Georgia’s state legislature—which is run by the GOP—began after this latest close election to draft a voting reform bill that recently was signed into law.
This bill has been uniformly panned in the media and the President has deemed it a return to “Jim Crow”. This is utter nonsense. Now—don’t get me wrong—ANY party that appears to want to have FEWER people vote in order to satisfy its governing desires, rather than winning over a larger number of people with sound policy, is on thin moral ice. The perception that this animated Georgia GOP’s approach to reform is not unfounded.
But the bill that was passed needs to be properly understood and fairly evaluated, not JUST with respect to the system that it reformed, but to the systems in play in other states around the country. It is worthwhile to read this unemotional assessment of the Georgia bill from The Dispatch (“Georgia on Everyone’s Mind”). Here is an extended portion of it for those too busy to click:
But attempts by prominent Democrats—including the president—to tie SB 202 to the Jim Crow era are incredibly disingenuous. For starters, the bill actually expands voting access for most Georgians, mandating precincts hold at least 17 days of early voting—including two Saturdays, with Sundays optional—leading up to the election. Voting locations during this period must be open for at least eight hours, and can operate between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Several states (including Biden’s home state of Delaware, which will not implement it until 2022) do not currently allow any in-person early voting, and plenty, like New Jersey, offer far fewer than 17 days.
Despite Biden saying the bill implements absentee voting restrictions that “effectively deny” the franchise to “countless” voters, SB 202 leaves in place no-excuse absentee voting with a few tweaks. It tightens the window to apply for an absentee ballot to “just” 67 days, and mandates applications—which can now be completed online—be received by election officials at least 11 days before an election to ensure a ballot can be mailed and returned by Election Day. The bill requires Georgia’s secretary of state to make a blank absentee ballot application available online, but prohibits government agencies from mailing one to voters unsolicited—and requires third-party groups doing so to include a variety of disclaimers.
Rather than signature matching—which is time-intensive for election officials—voters will verify their identity in absentee ballot applications by including the identification number on their driver’s license or voter identification card, which is free. If a Georgian has neither, he or she can, pursuant to Georgia Code Section 21-2-417, include a photocopy or digital picture of a “current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document” that includes his or her name and address.* When mailing back their ballots, voters must print their driver’s license number (or the last four digits of their social security number) on an inner envelope. (An August 2016 Gallup survey found photo ID requirements for voting were overwhelmingly popular: 80 percent of voters supported them, including 77 percent of nonwhite voters.) SB 202 also codifies ballot drop boxes into law; Georgia added them for the first time in 2020 as a pandemic measure, and the law now stipulates that there be one for every 100,000 registered voters or advance voting locations in a county, whichever is smaller.
In-person, early voting in the People’s State of Maryland (where I live) lasted for seven (7) days. Seven.
Below is a screen shot discussing mail in (no reason mail in) voting in Maryland, which looks surprisingly like what Georgia now has:
The bottom line here is that the prevailing narrative on what happened in Georgia is not supported by the bill that Georgia’s Governor signed, and the media is doing a terrible job of representing the facts of the matter.
As for the corporate woke-ism that has caused Major League Baseball to move its All-Star Game from Atlanta, and Georgia’s corporate behemoths Coca-Cola and Delta to indulge in performative public kowtowing, I find myself too busy to care. I support the rights of corporations to exercise their First Amendment rights (remember—REAL conservatives consider corporations to be amalgamations of individuals who have not surrendered rights in gathering for common purpose), and I support the right of those who see their actions as silly to boycott their products. That’s how all this works.
Easter Reflections
We celebrated Easter over the weekend. You remember Easter…the holiday that our previous President told us that the COVID virus would be wiped out by…last year?
It was a beautiful, quiet day, and rather than spend any time wondering about how bad the virus would get, how long we’d be locked down, how many people would die, would life ever return to normal….I read the New York times, ZoomChurched followed by a quick trip into town to receive Communion, pulled some weeds, took a nap, and ate a nice rack of lamb. The President of the United States played virtually no part in my conscious thoughts, save for a few head shakers rendered in opposition to various policy choices he is making. George Will produced (as is his job in our world) a wonderfully worded argument in opposition to central tenets of Mr. Biden’s “infrastructure” bill, including a truly inspired criticism of how the word “infrastructure” has been mangled beyond recognition.
Navy Stuff
As many readers who’ve been with me over the years on the old blog, or who follow me on Twitter (@ConsWahoo) know, I am a retired Navy Officer who continues to work in national security. I write quite a bit (elsewhere) about American Seapower, naval force structure and concepts of operations, and maritime policy. I wrote a piece recently that points at the short-sightedness of the Biden “Infrastructure” Plan and its failure to include a dollar for rebuilding the Navy. Jobs and Ships. Jobs and Ships. Jobs and Ships. Read about it here “Biden and Mahan: National Strength and Maritime Power are Still Linked”.
Some Things Worth Your Time
Kevin Williamson is always worth your time. “One Wrong Step”.
The winner of this year’s NCAA Bracket Challenge is my high school classmate Stephanie Wilson, all honor be upon her.
I’ve read a lot of motivated reasoning with regard to Sweden and COVID. This piece makes me think answers are really complicated.