Protests against ‘dehumanizing’ voting laws

NBC News reported that dozens of students and activists gathered on the Morehouse campus on Saturday to protest against S.B. 202, a controversial 2021 voting law pushed through by Georgia Republicans. The law made headlines for its provision that bans anyone from handing out food or even bottles of water to those in voting lines or near polling stations. Nicole Carty, the executive director of Get Free — “a youth-led movement to repair past harms, remove ongoing barriers to equality, and realize a future where freedom is for all” — pointed out to the cruelty of the water bottle ban. “It is so visibly dehumanizing to actually criminalize such an act of humanity and dignity,” she said amid the protest, per NBC News.

Students and organizations shine light on voting laws

The protest was organized by Get Free alongside other organizations including Collective Renaissance Guild, Georgia ADAPT, New Disabled South and the Atlanta NAACP. According to NBC News, Matthew Johnson, a leader of the group Faith in Public Life Action, spoke to the protesters about instances in 2020 when concerned individuals passed out food and water to “people standing in line five, six, seven hours to vote.” In addition to the food and water ban, the groups hoped to highlight other provisions of the Georgia law, such as a ban on public officials sending out absentee ballot request forms unless solicited by voters, limiting the use of ballot drop boxes, and allowing for registered voters to be removed from voting lists.

Campaigning and voting ramp up in Georgia

The protest on Saturday was timed to coincide with a high-profile visit to Georgia by the Harris campaign. The vice president appeared at a Saturday rally to drum up support for Harris as she races toward the finish line of the 2024 presidential race and encourages her supporters to engage in early voting. Harris will return to Atlanta on Thursday for a campaign event that will also feature former President Barack Obama and music legend Bruce Springsteen. Meanwhile, the Harris-Walz campaign’s Homecoming Tour will visit Morehouse on Saturday as part of its outreach to HBCUs.

With two weeks to go before Election Day and early voting underway in Georgia, the Peach State remains an important battleground for the 2024 election. The record-breaking early voting turnout that the state has seen so far shows that, voting restrictions notwithstanding, both campaigns are seeking to get out as many voters in Georgia and elsewhere as they can.