Judge partially strikes down Georgia ban on giving voters food and water in polling lines
Judge partially strikes down Georgia ban on giving voters food and water in polling lines
A federal judge on Friday narrowed a section of Georgia election law that banned the practice of handing out food and water to voters waiting in line to cast ballots, as well as halted enforcement of a requirement that voters put their birth dates on the outer envelope of their ballots.
A federal judge on Friday narrowed a section of Georgia election law that banned the practice of handing out food and water to voters waiting in line to cast ballots, as well as halted enforcement of a requirement that voters put their birth dates on the outer envelope of their ballots.
His ruling on so-called line-warming allowed the ban to still be enforced in what he dubbed the “buffer zone” around a polling place, within 150 feet of the building where ballots are being cast. But he paused enforcement of the ban in the “supplemental zone,” or additional areas that are within 25 feet of a voter standing in line.
If I understand it, should allow relief to a really long line. Stupid that money is free speech but passing out sandwiches sometimes isn't. Step in the right direction I guess?
Now they will just make the voting line snake around the building within the 150 ft 🙄
Step in right direction after taking a 5 minute jog towards fascist hell
The problem is that campaigns will use snacks and water to campaign as close to polling places as possible. That's what the law is trying to prevent, so that there aren't 15 10'X10' tents with names emblazoned on top just to garner more votes.
How you solve for that is: No branding or signage beyond "Free Water" or "Free Refreshments" and workers are not allowed to speak to anyone. Just place things on a table. Campaigns can setup tents, refreshments outside of a new buffer, 300 ft. Or, OR, just ban campaigns from setting up tents. If it's found, they forfeit the election.
But, we all know that legislatures aren't about making common sense laws.
Update: I appreciate all of the responses. I've read up more on this law, and ya'll are right. The way it's written, and how it's communicated are different. I'm leaving my original comment up for clarity. Discourse is good and I appreciate the softer approaches along with some of the more angry of you.
This is the deceit of these laws. They pretend to be about a genuine "problem", giving a degree of plausibility, just like you are doing now. But we should not be fooled. The real motivation is to deter voting by non GOP groups.
In this case, consider which areas have long lines and which don't. You're not sure? Look at which areas have had the number of voting places reduced. Look at which groups find it difficult to vote during weekday working hours, and who is limiting weekend voting and early/late voting hours.
It's always been illegal to campaign within X feet of a polling place. Banning water and snacks is irrelevant to that. You could never just set up campaigning tents anywhere you wanted. Was there really an epidemic of lawless tent-weilding water and snacks givers before this law? "How do you solve for that?" You don't because it's not a real problem, the law is simply designed to make it difficult to stay in line in mainly non GOP overloaded voting places, to make people give up and go home.
But you already weren't allowed to campaign within 150ft of a poling place or 25ft of a voter standing in line. So, that would have already been a solved issue.
This is from the 2010 GA code.
O.C.G.A. 21-2-414 (2010)
(a) No person shall solicit votes in any manner or by any means or method, nor shall any person distribute or display any campaign literature, newspaper, booklet, pamphlet, card, sign, paraphernalia, or any other written or printed matter of any kind, nor shall any person solicit signatures for any petition or conduct any exit poll or public opinion poll with voters on any day in which ballots are being cast:
(1) Within 150 feet of the outer edge of any building within which a polling place is established;
(2) Within any polling place; or
(3) Within 25 feet of any voter standing in line to vote at any polling place.
Edit: I personally believe that the food and water restriction was to make people not want to stick out waiting 2+ hours in line. Unfortunately people seem to have to wait multiple hours every election.
I was gonna try to explain it, but @lolcatnip said it more succinctly than I would. I'll just chime in to say that this is disingenuous:
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement that the decision “should have limited effect.”
“Due to the good work that both the state and county election officials have done to ensure short lines for voters, this decision should have limited effect,” he said. “I am grateful that the ban on giving things of value to voters remains in place within 150 feet of the polling place. All voters should have the right to cast their vote in peace without being subject to potentially unwanted solicitations.”
As if anyone standing in line hasn't already made up their mind. "Oh, a bottle of water when I've been in line for an hour? Guess I'll vote for your guy because I'm a thoughtless idiot."
"How dare you," checks notes, "give people water."
If you are the party of denying people waiting water, you might want to consider that you are the badie... Oh who am I kidding Republicans are too stupid for that kind of reflection
Republicans exist to do evil.