Federal Judge Invalidates Key Provisions of Georgia's Voter Suppression Law

A federal judge has temporarily blocked provisions of Georgia's voter suppression law, S.B. 202. The blocked provisions include the requirement to reject absentee ballots if the birth date on the envelope doesn't match the registration record, and the ban on handing out food and water within 25 feet of a voter in line. The judge ruled that the birth date matching provision likely violates the Materiality Provision of the Civil Rights Act, and the ban on line warming likely violates the First Amendment. The court victories remove burdensome requirements that increased the risk of disenfranchisement for Georgia voters.