Republicans on the Senate Committee targeted former state republican Stacey Abrams in Georgia on Tuesday during a voting right hearing.
Abrams, who, according to politicians of both parties, has helped achieve election victories for Democrats in the 2020 presidential election and the second round of the 2021 senatorial elections in Georgia, was called to testify in a panel entitled “Jim Crow 2021:” The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote. ” This gave the Republicans on the Judicial Committee an opportunity to ask her about her belief that voting laws pushed by Republican-led state law are a thinly disguised attempt to prevent people of color from participating in elections.
Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., asked Abrams if she supported voter identification laws.
“Yes,” replied Abrams. “There are 35 states in the United States that have voter identification laws. In fact, every state requires some form of identification. What I have objected to are restrictive voter identification laws that limit the range of materials allowed – ”
“The answer is yes as a concept,” interjected Graham. “Do you support the idea that voting should be limited to US citizens?”
“Yes,” replied Abrams.
After a back-and-forth over the so-called ballot harvest, Graham Abrams asked about Georgia’s new voting law known as SB 202.
“Do you believe that the Republican majority in Georgia – House, Senate – when they make changes to your state’s voting laws, do you think they are motivated by trying to suppress the African American vote?” Graham asked.
“I’ve seen it happen that they are,” replied Abrams. “I’ve seen other accounts that were really dual in nature, that looked at and completely -“
“But you believe that’s the motivation,” Graham interrupted. “Do you believe this is the motivation behind these laws?”
Abrams then referred to her time in the Georgia House of Representatives, where she served as leader of the Democratic minority before running for governor, and her work with Republicans in the chamber, such as Pro Tempore speaker Jan Jones.
“I believe the motivation behind certain provisions in SB 202 is a direct result of the increased participation of colored communities in the 2020 and 2021 elections. I participated for 11 years, as speaker Pro Tem Jones noted, we served together and almost every year there was a voting law. And when those voting laws were neutral, not just on their faces … “
“Well, I’m out of time,” Graham interrupted again. “Do you think the speaker of the House, speaker pro tem, the lady, Jan Jones, is motivated by trying to limit African American voters in Georgia?”
“I believe there is racial animus that has generated those bills,” Abrams replied. “I wouldn’t assume that racial animus is shared by everyone, but the result is that racial animus exists and it eliminates access to voting, regardless of a particular person’s heart, if the effect is detrimental to the ability of people of color to participate in elections, that is problematic and that is wrong and it should be rejected by everyone. “
Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, was more direct than Graham and asked Abrams if the electoral law in Georgia was “a racist piece of law.”
“I think there are parts of it that are indeed racist because they use racist animus as a means of tackling the behavior of certain voters to limit their participation in elections,” said Abrams.
“So you believe the Georgian legislature has made deliberate attempts to suppress minority votes?”
“Yes,” replied Abrams.
Cornyn then urged Abrams whether states should vote without excuse in absence, rather than the postal voting practiced in a handful of states, to be considered racist.
“They’re behind the eight ball,” replied Abrams.
“But are they racist?” Cornyn asked. “You are filibusting.”
“I say it is important to change things now, after a greater turnout of minorities,” Abrams replied.
When it came his turn to question Abrams, Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, noted that she still had not conceded her loss in the 2018 Georgia governmental election to Republican Brian Kemp.
“Yes or no, are you still claiming today that the 2018 elections in Georgia were stolen?” Cruz asked.
“As I have always said, I recognized from the start that Brian Kemp won according to the rules in force. What I object to are rules that allowed thousands of voters in Georgia to be banned from participating in these elections in order to have their votes cast. And so I continue to disagree with the system until it is resolved. We have seen clear progress, and unfortunately this has been reversed in SB 202, but I will continue to advocate for a system that allows every eligible Georgian to vote – “
“Ms. Abrams,” Cruz interrupted, “I’m going to ask you to please answer the question I asked: yes or no, do you still claim the 2018 election was stolen? That’s your language.”
“My full language was that it had been stolen from Georgia voters,” Abrams replied. “We don’t know what they would have done because not every eligible Georgian was allowed to participate fully in the election.”
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