With the recent mainstream media coverage, Major League Baseball’s decision to move the All-Star Game out of Atlanta, and comments from Delta and Coca-Cola, one would assume that African-American participation in recent elections in Georgia has been actively stymied by Georgia elected officials and declining.
An analysis of election data from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office tells a different story.
In the Presidential Elections from 1996 through 2020, the number of African-Americans registered to vote has increased in each election.
During the same time period, the number of African-Americans voting in each election has increased (except for slight declines in 2012 and 2016).
In fact, percentage increase of African-Americans registered to vote and actually voting in Georgia is greater than the percentage increase of those of White voters.
The relationship of these figures to the current controversy regarding the changes to Georgia’s election law are best understood in the context of two historical points.
First, starting in 2003 and continuing to the present, Georgia governors have been Republican. Prior to that, starting in 1872, every Georgia governor was a Democrat.
Brian Kemp, the current Governor, was the Georgia Secretary of State from 2010 to 2018. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing and monitoring elections.
The Democrat narrative is that Republicans and Brian Kemp are continuing their efforts to suppress African-American voter registration and voting.
The statistics indicate, however, that Republicans and Brian Kemp have presided over great increases in these areas.
Second, in 2005, Georgia passed a law requiring voters who voted in-person to present photo identification.
The recently passed Georgia law requires absentee voters to provide photo identification (or another suitable form of identification) to be submitted with absentee ballots.
Democrats argue that photo identification laws are designed to suppress African-American voter registration and voting.
Statistics demonstrate, however, that African-American voter registration and voting have increased since photo identification for in-person voting became the law in Georgia.
The above analysis underscores the need to fully understand the facts of a situation before making a judgement.
Under the leadership of Georgia Republicans, African-American voter registration and participation has increased. The arguments against the changes to Georgia’s election law are based on an incorrect understanding of voter registration and participation in Georgia.
Michael B. Abramson is a practicing attorney. He is also an adviser with the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. He is the host of the "Advancing the Agenda" podcast and the author of "A Playbook for Taking Back America: Lessons from the 2012 Presidential Election." Follow him on his website and Twitter, @mbabramson. Read Michael B. Abramson's Reports — More Here
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