A coalition of civic and civil rights organizations issued the following statement today in reaction to Gov. Brian Kemp’s choice to sign into law HB 369, a measure that alters elections in only five of the state’s 159 counties.
We are deeply disappointed and outraged by Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to sign HB 369 into law. HB 369 takes away voters’ ability to see the party designation of candidates in key offices in five counties that are among the most populous and most diverse of Georgia’s 159 counties. (Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett.) 
This action is alarming because it reflects a continuation of efforts in Georgia to parcel democracy out on a piecemeal basis – until Black and other communities of color are left with the smallest portion, if any. This is happening now, in a state that is one of the most diverse in the nation – 48–50% Non-Hispanic White, 30–33% Black or African American, 11-12% Hispanic or Latino, and around 4-5% Asian.
In 2020, Georgia held one of our most successful elections in terms of voter participation, overall turnout, and safety. Numerous recounts confirmed a fair and accurate election process. But seeing democracy work at its best sparked pushback. Right away, Georgia legislature and forces that want to restrict voter access came up with measures that purged thousands of legitimate voters from the rolls, prohibited organizations from handing out water to voters waiting in long lines, changed polling locations, moved drop boxes inside buildings that closed at 5 p.m., and took other steps to make it harder for targeted communities to participate in the process.
We know voter suppression when we see it. And we’re seeing it now with HB 369 and talk of special sessions that would drag Georgia into the spreading southern strategy to dilute the voting power of communities of color. The Supreme Court’s gutting of the 1965 Civil Rights Act is designed to give cover to lawmakers by calling these measures “political” instead of what we know them to be: racially motivated.
We’ve seen all of this before.
During the post-Civil War Reconstruction era in 1965, for example, the Republican party advanced voting rights for former slaves and people of color. The party embraced diversity and elected Black candidates who served in local and national positions. Simultaneously, southern white Democrats worked overtime to overturn freedom and justice, and the Black vote was suppressed for nearly a century.
But leaders like Atlanta’s own Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Ambassador Andrew Young and Jean Young, Rev. Ralph Abernathy and Juanita Abernathy, Rev. C.T. Vivian and Octavia Vivia, Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, and so many other Americans of all races formed coalitions and sacrificed their lives to advocate for the equal rights and passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act. Things slowly changed, and Black and other voters of color gained a measure of political power – exemplified by the Black politicians that hold positions of leadership in the 5 counties targeted by HB 369.
Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Democratic party has represented diversity and expansion of civil rights. Throughout the south, voters of color have elected representatives of their choice to seats of power at the local, state, and national levels.
To pretend that HB 369 and other voter suppression measures have nothing to do with race is disingenuous. If it has nothing to do with race, why does the bill only target five Metro Atlanta counties? These five counties, which are among the most populous and most racially diverse in the state, have elected diverse leadership at every level – including five Black county chairpersons and district attorneys among other elected officials.
The elections that produced these leaders provided these counties’ voters with important partisan designations – Independent, Republican and Democratic – affiliations that give many voters vital background facts they need about candidate values and positions on the issues that matter to them. Why should the most diverse counties ONLY not have access to this critical decision-making information?
Georgia, we need to be clear that a strong and persistent message is being sent as to the direction our current Governor and legislators are rapidly moving our state. They are making clear their position to not uphold democracy for every citizen, and to instead run roughshod over democracy in power grabs.
The question is: What are WE the People going to do about it?
The answer must be: VOTE in record numbers like never before.
Today, we call on every voter to lift your voice and demonstrate the power of the people by VOTING in the primaries now and this fall in the mid-term elections.
Stand up for democracy. Say “Not in our state! Enough is enough.” No mid-decade redistricting to diminish the choices in diverse districts. No treating one county more fairly than its neighbors. No playing politics when the real-world outcome is voter suppression based on racial demographics.
While the Governor chose to sign the bill, that is not the end. Our work against this measure (and others with the same intent) is not over. It will continue. We expect that HB 369 will be challenged in court. While the affected counties make their decisions, keep in mind that each one of us can do something:
- You can Vote NOW – we have the immediate opportunity to decide who will lead our state this fall. Vet these gubernatorial and other candidates carefully, find out their positions on voting rights, social justice, economic mobility, and health equity for Black and other people of color and all Georgians before you vote.
- Recommit to Leverage Your Economic Power and Build Wealth – support the businesses that support our communities.
- Advance in Education and Occupational Skills – local organizations are here to help you.
- Support Black and Minority Owned Businesses and Workers – how you spend your dollars reflects your commitment to equal opportunity and progress. Further, our anchor institutions must demonstrate their community commitments by utilizing diverse suppliers and diversity in hiring.
