Let’s count yet another loss for the “Jim Crow 2.0” crowd. A federal judge has issued a ruling upholding Georgia’s Election Integrity Act, dismissing claims that it prevents black people from voting.
This marks the second time a court has ruled against plaintiffs challenging the law, which beefed up election security after the 2020 presidential election. Democrats and their close friends and allies in the elite media railed against this law, and others passed in red states to prevent voter fraud, falsely claiming that they were racist.
A federal judge has upheld Georgia’s Election Integrity Act, marking the second time in a year that a court affirmed the law in the face of Democrat allegations the state’s voter ID requirement is racist.
U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee, a Trump appointee for the Northern District of Georgia, last week rejected an effort by the U.S. Justice Department to stop portions of the state’s Election Integrity Act, which Georgia passed in 2021, from being enforced.
The Justice Department had asked the court to stop various portions of the Election Integrity Act from going into effect, including regulations on absentee ballot drop boxes, an ID requirement for absentee ballot applications and a ban on line warming, where voters are provided food and water as they wait to cast their ballots.
The lawsuit was filed by the Justice Department, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Judge Boulee concluded that the plaintiffs failed to provide substantive proof that Georgia’s voting law disproportionately prevented black residents from casting their votes. They had sought to halt portions of the law from being enforced, including regulations related to absentee ballot drop boxes and voter ID requirements.
“Today, the Court confirmed what we’ve been saying all along,” stated Georgia GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, emphasizing that “SB 202 strengthens election integrity while increasing the opportunity for Georgia voters to cast a ballot.”
The claimants argued that Georgia’s law was a resurrection of Jim Crow-era policies that were specifically designed to stop black citizens from participating in elections. This talking point was parroted by President Joe Biden, along with many other high-profile politicians, despite lacking evidence showing this was the case.
In 2022, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones also upheld the law as constitutional.
Yet, despite the Jim Crow 2.0 claims, a poll conducted by the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs showed that the majority of black voters had an “excellent experience” while voting during the 2022 midterm elections. Indeed, it found that 73 percent of black voters found the process to be straightforward. Moreover, 94 percent were confident their votes had been counted, more than the 88 percent of white voters who said the same.
Those still trying to keep the Jim Crow 2.0 narrative on life support indicated they will challenge the law again. But if these rulings are any indication, their efforts will continue to result in abysmal failure. But at least these groups can continue to pretend they are doing something to help black Americans, right?
