AFSCME President Saunders decries discriminatory Georgia legislation aimed at voter suppression

WASHINGTON — AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law sweeping legislation designed to silence Georgia voters:

“Legislation like S.B. 202 is all too familiar for millions of African Americans across the country, who not long ago were blocked from the ballot box by racist Jim Crow laws. We were also reminded of how civil rights activists were attacked for registering and trying to vote when Georgia Rep. Park Cannon was arrested and charged with a felony simply for knocking on Gov. Kemp’s door.

“This bill is a blatant power grab and an attempt to silence the millions of Georgia voters who in the midst of a global pandemic and economic recession turned out to vote in record numbers and made history.

“Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Republicans are sending a clear message that if you can’t win fairly, you should rig the game.

“AFSCME condemns this racist, discriminatory and anti-democratic legislation that will make it harder to vote for Black and brown voters, the elderly, people with disabilities and workers. As more states across the country move to pass similar voter suppression bills, federal legislators must act urgently to pass H.R. 1 and ensure that the right of every American to cast their vote is protected.”