‘Ground zero’ for voting rights: How Georgia’s new law fits with its past

History can be a useful touchstone for determining progress – and identifying patterns that impede it. When it comes to voting rights in Georgia, our commentator warns of the latter.

Georgia’s current voter suppression saga began with a bid for governor back in 2018. The contest between Democrat Stacey Abrams and eventual Republican winner Brian Kemp was embroiled in controversy – and not just because Mr. Kemp was secretary of state at the time.

Mere months before the election, a plan to close seven of nine polling places in Randolph County drew the ire of civil rights groups and activists alike. While the plan was turned back due to the efforts of the ACLU, among others, the air of disenfranchisement was pungent.

Despite her defeat months later, Ms. Abrams was undeterred.

Her speech acknowledging that Mr. Kemp would be Georgia’s next governor was defiant:

Make no mistake, the former secretary of state was deliberate and intentional in his actions. I know that eight years of systemic disenfranchisement, disinvestment, and incompetence had its desired effect on the electoral process in Georgia.

The speech also noted the birth of Fair Fight Georgia (now called Fair Fight), dedicated to election reform and voter fairness. Ms. Abrams was the face out front for a network of activists and civil rights groups that pushed back against voter suppression and encouraged voter participation. Two years after political heartbreak, redemption came in the form of a presidential victory for Joe Biden and two U.S. Senate seats.

Georgia Republicans were undeterred.