Democracy prevailed despite GOP voter suppression
Senator Warnock’s re-election is especially remarkable because Republicans rigged the rules to prevent it.
Georgia has a long history of ingenious ruses to suppress Black voters and Black candidates, from poll taxes and literacy tests to runoffs. Recently the state GOP has been doubling down on this time-honored tradition.
To their credit, Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger balked at Trump’s pressure to overturn the presidential election. But then they rammed through SB 202, a MAGA wish list of draconian new voting restrictions. SB 202′s goal was not to prevent voter fraud – multiple recounts found none – but to prevent future Democratic victories by depressing Black turnout.
Republicans claim that Warnock’s victory shows that SB 202 doesn’t suppress votes. These claims ring hollow. The law had its intended effect of sharply reducing early and absentee voting opportunities during the runoff. The Warnock campaign’s ability to overcome this disadvantage is a tribute to Black voters’ refusal to be disenfranchised. Democracy prevailed despite the GOP’s best efforts to thwart it.
STEVE BABB, LAWRENCEVILLE
Eliminating runoffs would further erode trust in elections
Because election reform is on many people’s minds, Patricia Murphy’s column on Dec. 14 about eliminating runoff elections caught my attention. But sadly, it is just the latest episode of “listen to the experts,” replete with bad ideas.
She lists three recommendations from Secretary of State Raffensperger and one from professor Kerwin Swint. Three of the recommendations call for fundamental change in the election process. Setting the bar at 45% as a “win”' violates the principle of majority rule. Using “ranked choice” voting has been a chaotic mess in the states that have tried it. Eliminating the runoffs entirely would further erode trust in elections. All of these seem like terrible ideas. The best solution is to have more polling places open, and if you want to optimize costs, keep the polls open for fewer days.
GARY O’NEILL, MARIETTA
