Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock stood by his claim on Sunday that the state suffers from “voter suppression,” despite CBS host Margaret Brennan pointing out the “high turnout” of voters.
Georgia began its first week of voting on Tuesday and already set a record as 196,000 residents cast their ballots statewide by Thursday, according to WALB. On “Face the Nation,” Brennan referenced the failed 2021 Department of Justice (DOJ) case against Georgia, which claimed the state was suppressing Black voters, and asked if Harris’ recent comments about the voting laws could backfire and discourage turnout.
Warnock pushed back, stating that “voter suppression” discourages people from voting and urged voters to “show up.” However, Brennan quickly challenged his stance, highlighting Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s defense of the state’s laws.
“But your governor, Brian Kemp, said the truth is that it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat in Georgia. He has criticized the vice president and Democratic officials, saying, ‘They lied about Georgia’s election laws to raise campaign cash and scare people.’ Doesn’t this high turnout assuage some of what you call attempts at voter suppression?”
“Listen, I’ve been through a few elections in Georgia, and what we saw was lines wrapped around buildings. We saw the effort of state officials to make it impossible for people to vote the first weekend of our runoff, and Georgians stood up. Listen, the fact that voters turn out doesn’t mean there’s no voter suppression,” Warnock said.
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“It just means people aren’t willing to have their voices silenced or muted,” Warnock added. “The good news is that they’re showing up, and we’ll keep this going between now and November 1st and then show up on Election Day on November 5th.”
Brennan then questioned the Democratic senator again about standing by his claim that “there are attempts to suppress the vote in Georgia.”
“Listen, we saw what the state board of elections did just this — last week. They are literally trying to change the election rules in the middle of an election. And the courts had to undo what they’re trying to do. What I’m saying to the people of Georgia, the way to respond to this is to keep showing up. Because when we show up we win,” Warnock concluded.
During a Michigan rally on Friday, Harris called out the “attacks on the freedom to vote,” claiming that Georgia passed a law to not allow voters in line to receive food or water.
“You know, in the state of Georgia, they passed a law that makes it illegal to give people food and water for standing in line to vote. You know, the hypocrisy abounds. What happened to ‘love thy neighbor’ right?” Harris asked.
While President Joe Biden has echoed similar claims, Georgia’s voting law still permits voter access to water and does not prohibit individuals from bringing their own food. Additionally, Warnock previously addressed the idea of voter suppression in 2022, asserting that the tactic could still be employed despite high voter turnout in that election, which he won.
Featured Image Credit: Gerri Hernandez
