Election officials in rural Georgia county to vote on whether to close 6 of county's 7 polling places
On Wednesday evening, the election board in Georgia's rural Lincoln County is set to vote on a plan to close all but one of its seven polling places ahead of 2022's midterm elections, CNN reports, and local officials, civil rights groups, and even county residents are at odds over what the change could mean for elections going forward.
"I don't like it at all, because we are such a long county," Shea Chamberlain, one of Lincoln's roughly 7,700 residents, told WJBF.com. "Now seven may be too much, but one is definitely not acceptable for especially the elderly coming all the way into town to do that."
To voting activists, the closures are part of a nationwide effort inside Republican-controlled state legislatures to enact new restrictions and expand GOP influence over elections, notes CNN. Lincoln is one of six counties in Georgia that has "disbanded or reconfigured their local election boards in the last year, thanks to recently passed bills by the Republican-controlled Georgia General Assembly."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"What's happening in Georgia with the dismantling of these county election boards is an extreme example of the national trend in Republican-controlled states to undermine local election officials," Jonathan Diaz of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center told CNN. Behind-the-scenes procedures "can really affect whether your vote matters," Diaz added.
Notably, former President Donald Trump received over 68 percent of the vote in Lincoln County in 2020, per CNN.
In the eyes of local Republican officials, however, the closures will simply eliminate unnecessary staff travel and stamp out outdated polling sites, CNN notes. "This has nothing to do with suppressing anybody's vote," said county Commission Chairman Walker Norman, who dismissed the idea that voters would have difficulty casting their ballots.
An official vote is expected to take place at 6:30 p.m., per WJBF.com.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 23, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - qualifications, tax cuts, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Long summer days in Iceland's highlands
The Week Recommends While many parts of this volcanic island are barren, there is a 'desolate beauty' to be found in every corner
By The Week UK Published
-
The Democrats: time for wholesale reform?
Talking Point In the 'wreckage' of the election, the party must decide how to rebuild
By The Week UK Published
-
Global court issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Speed Read The International Criminal Court issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who stand accused of war crimes
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz bows out, Trump pivots to Pam Bondi
Speed Read Gaetz withdrew from attorney generation consideration, making way for longtime Trump loyalist Pam Bondi
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
GOP's Mace seeks federal anti-trans bathroom ban
Speed Read Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has introduced legislation to ban transgender people from using federal facilities
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine fires ATACMS, Russia ups hybrid war
Speed Read Ukraine shot U.S.-provided long-range missiles and Russia threatened retaliation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York DA floats 4-year Trump sentencing freeze
Speed Read President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing is on hold, and his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case while he's in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Wyoming judge strikes down abortion, pill bans
Speed Read The judge said the laws — one of which was a first-in-the-nation prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy — violated the state's constitution
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sanctions Israeli West Bank settler group
Speed Read The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Amana, Israel's largest settlement development organization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz ethics report in limbo as sex allegations emerge
Speed Read A lawyer representing two women alleges that Matt Gaetz paid them for sex, and one witnessed him having sex with minor
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published