BLUE STEEN FROM THE ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION AND THE CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR THE NEW
GEORGIA PROJECT.
CRAIG, WE WILL START WITH YOU.
HAVE REPUBLICANS ACTUALLY
SPELLED OUT THE PROBLEMS THIS
BILL IS SUPPOSED TO SOLVE?
THE COURTS AND THE RECOUNT,
THEY’VE ALL FOUND THERE’S NO
VOTER FRAUD.
>> YES, REPUBLICANS SAY IT WILL
PROTECT INTEGRITY, FIX ALARMING
ISSUES, THIS IS WHAT GOVERNOR
KEMP SAID, THAT LED TO A
QUOTE/UNQUOTE CRISIS OF
CONFIDENCE.
WHAT THEY DON’T ACKNOWLEDGE IS
THE CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE WAS
UNDERMINED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS ALLIES WITH LIES AND
AND HIS ALLIES WITH LIES AND
CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT THE
SYSTEMIC FRONT THAT EVEN
REPUBLICAN LEADERS SAY WAS
PHONY.
>> HOW WILL THIS BILL IMPACT
VOTERS, BREAK IT DOWN FOR US?
>> ANY ONE OF THE PROVISIONS
CONTAINED IN THIS BILL WILL MAKE
IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO
HAVE ACCESS TO THE BALLOT.
JOSH, ONE OF YOUR REPORTERS IS
JUST REPORTING LIVE FROM IN
FRONT OF THE GEORGIA CAPITOL
WITH A PIECE OF CLOTH OVER HIS
FACE BECAUSE WE’RE STILL IN THE
MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC, RIGHT?
THIS 2020 PROVIDED US AN
OPPORTUNITY, WE SAW AN EXPANSION
OF THE USE OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS
BECAUSE WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A
PANDEMIC.
GEORGIANS HAVE BEEN VOTING THIS
WAY FOR 16 YEARS AND THE CRISIS
OF CONFIDENCE THAT THEY’RE
EXPERIENCING IS BECAUSE THEY
LOST.
>> AND NSE, THE PROVISION IN
THIS BILL THAT NOW MAKES IT A
CRIME TO GIVE PEOPLE IN LINE
WATER OR FOOD, WE KNOW FROM THE
LAST ELECTION THERE WERE SOME
FOLKS IN PREDOMINANTLY BLACK
AREAS, PEOPLE WERE WAITING IN
LINE FOR EIGHT HOURS.
AND SO NOW IT BECOMES ILLEGAL TO
GIVE THOSE FOLKS WATER, WHAT
SHOULD WE DRAW FROM THAT, NSE?
>> IT’S JUST MEAN AND PETTY AND
VERY MUCH REMINISCENT OF JIM
CROW ERA TACTICS THAT ARE
DESIGNED TO HAVE A CHILLING
EFFECT ON PARTICIPATION.
WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE WORK THAT
THE NEW GEORGIA PROJECT DOES, WE
COVERED LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF
POLLING LOCATIONS BETWEEN THE
PRIMARIES, GENERAL ELECTION AND
THE RUNOFF IN 2020, PROVIDING
COMFORT TO VOTERS BECAUSE OF THE
INDIGNITY THEY HAD TO SUFFER
WHEN GEORGIANS WERE WAITING IN
LINE EIGHT, NINE, TEN, 11 HOURS
TO VOTE.
SO THEY’RE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT
THAT.
THEY’RE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT
ADDRESSING THAT.
BUT THE IDEA THAT WE WOULD BRING
LAWN CHAIRS FOR OUR ELDERS AND
PORTABLE CELL PHONE CHARGERS,
PEOPLE WHO PUT ON A FULL SHIFT
WHILE WAITING TO VOTE, IT’S
RIDICULOUS.
THIS IS AN ALL-OUT ATTACK, AS VIOLENT AS THEY WERE LAST NIGHT
VIOLENT AS THEY WERE LAST NIGHT
WITH OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE,
THIS IS A SIMILARLY VIOLENT
ATTACK ON OUR ELECTIONS
INFRASTRUCTURE AND GRASSROOTS
ORGANIZATIONS TRYING TO BRING
COMFORT AND TAKE CARE OF EACH
OTHER WHILE GEORGIANS EXERCISE
THEIR CIVIC DUTY.
>> GREG, WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE OF
THE TIMELINE FOR THIS
LEGISLATION?
IT SEEMS LIKE IT MOVED PRETTY
FAST FROM CONCEPTION ALL THE WAY
TO THE GOVERNOR SIGNING IT
YESTERDAY.
>> LOOK, WE OPENED YESTERDAY
THINKING THAT THIS BILL MIGHT
GET FINAL APPROVAL NEXT WEEK AND
SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR BY THE
END OF NEXT WEEK AND INSTEAD IT
WAS SIGNED AROUND 6:30 LAST
NIGHT, SHORTLY AFTER THE SENATE
GAVE FINAL PASSAGE.
SO WHAT I TAKE FROM THAT, THE
SUPPORTERS OF THIS MEASURE WERE
WORRIED THE LONGER THEY WAITED,
THE MORE GROUNDSWELL COULD
EMERGE FROM THIS MEASURE AND
THEY WERE ALSO WORRIED ABOUT A
PUSHBACK FROM THE BIG POWERFUL
COMPANIES LIKE DELTA, COCA-COLA,
HOME DEPOT, THEY WERE FACING A
LOT OF PRESSURE TO SPEAK UP
AGAINST THIS BILL SO THE QUICKER
THE GOVERNOR SIGNED IT INTO LAW,
THE LESS LIKELY THERE WAS TO BE
EVEN MORE FIERCE PUSHBACK FROM
THOSE VERY POWERFUL COMPANIES.
>> SO NSE, WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?
>> I MEAN, WE, ONE, WE FILED A
LAWSUIT LAST NIGHT.
NEW GEORGIA PROJECT, BLACK
VOTERS MATTER AND RISE.
THIS IS CLEARLY A CONSTITUTIONAL
VIOLATION.
IT’S ALSO A VIOLATION OF THE
VOTING RIGHTS ACT, SECTION 2.
SO WE’RE HEADING TO COURT.
B, WE ARE STILL PUSHING FOR
SENATE ONE AND PASSAGE OF HR-4
FOR THE PEOPLE ACT THAT FEDERAL
LEGISLATION IS ABSOLUTELY WHAT
IS NEEDED IN THIS MOMENT.
WE NEED TO SET A FEDERAL
STANDARD FOR ELECTIONS.
IT’S GOING TO BE A VERY LONG
YEAR.
GEORGIA IS A PART-TIME
LEGISLATURE SO WE’RE THE
FIRST -- OUR LEGISLATIVE SESSION
ENDS NEXT WEEK.
THERE ARE 42 ADDITIONAL STATES