Tonight, in the wake of Brian Kemp signing a wildly restrictive new set of voter suppression laws (under the gaze of a bunch of white guys and beneath a painting of a plantation), let's revisit President Jimmy Carter's recent statement on what's going on in Georgia.
"In 1962, I ran to represent the 14th Senate
District in the Georgia legislature. I won my Senate seat, but only
after the courts ruled that a ballot box had been illegally 'stuffed'
with votes for my opponent. My experience with our election system was
one of the reasons Rosalynn and I created The Carter Center. Since 1989,
we have observed 113 elections in 39 countries and helped build
consensus on standards for democratic elections, perhaps the most
fundamental of which are the rights to vote and be elected.
"One thing we have learned from our international work is that while
states must safeguard the integrity of the election process to prevent
fraud, this should not be at the expense of voters’ access to the polls.
They should proactively expand voter access through safe, secure
administrative practices.
"Since that 1962 Senate race, Georgia has established itself as a
leader in providing voter access and taking steps to enhance election
integrity. Georgia now uses technologies that provide a paper trail
allowing voters to review their ballot before it is cast. In addition,
Georgia requires post-election risk-limiting audits that make it
possible to check the accuracy of voting machines. Indeed, November saw a
successful set of elections with record turnout and few or no
fraudulent ballots counted — which should make us all proud.
"Now, as our state legislators seek to turn back the clock through
legislation that will restrict access to voting for many Georgians, I am
disheartened, saddened and angry. Many of the proposed changes are
reactions to allegations of fraud for which no evidence was
produced — allegations that were, in fact, refuted through various audits,
recounts and other measures. The proposed changes appear to be rooted
in partisan interests, not in the interests of all Georgia voters.
"I also am disappointed that advocates for these restrictive changes
have repeatedly and selectively referenced a report prepared by a 2005
commission that I co-chaired with former Secretary of State James Baker.
While our report noted a few good and bad examples of vote-by-mail
practices, its main recommendation was that further study of voting by
mail was needed. In the 16 years since the report’s release,
vote-by-mail practices have progressed significantly as new technologies
have been developed. In light of these advances, I believe that voting
by mail can be conducted in a manner that ensures election integrity.
This is just one of several ways to expand access to the voting process
for voters across the state, regardless of political affiliation.
"American democracy means every eligible person has the right to vote
in an election that is fair, open and secure. It should be flexible
enough to meet the electorate’s changing needs. As Georgians, we must
protect these values. We must not lose the progress we have made. We
must not promote confidence among one segment of the electorate by
restricting the participation of others. Our goal always should be to
increase, not decrease, voter participation."
(IMAGE: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter observe elections in Bhaktapur, Nepal, in 2008.)
