GOP lawmakers have a curiously staunch opposition to distributing food or drink to voters queued at polling locations.
A proposed law in Arkansas, dubbed “no water bottles for voters” by critics, is among a slew of proposals by Republican lawmakers that would add restrictions – both petty and impactful – to the voting process.
The Associated Press provides specifics:
A bill approved by the House on a 74-23 vote prohibits someone being within 100 feet of the primary exterior entrance of a polling site while voting is taking place unless they’re entering or leaving the building “for lawful purposes.”
The bill now heads to Republican Asa Hutchinson’s desk. A sponsor of the bill said it was in response to complaints from voters about groups handing out water, sandwiches or other items outside polling sites. Existing law prohibits candidates from campaigning within that area.
Other legislature-approved measures headed to Hutchinson’s desk, according to CNN, “would ban clerks from sending unsolicited absentee ballots to voters” and “put in place strict signature match requirements for mail-in ballots.”
Republican Rep. Karilyn Brown defended the law that would prevent refreshments from being distributed, saying it was designed to prevent people from “hanging out.” It’s commonplace to restrict campaigning outside of polling locations.
However, Holly Dickson, ACLU of Arkansas executive director, said in a statement, “What we’re seeing in Arkansas is the most dangerous assault on the right to vote since the Jim Crow era. Legislators are moving at breakneck speed to erect new barriers to the ballot that will disproportionately impact voters of color, as well as elderly and low-income Arkansans.”
Last month, Georgia passed a law that effectively makes it more difficult to vote – something Republicans say is necessary to insure election integrity. Democrats, on the other hand, say it’s a racist GOP power grab that disenfranchises black voters in particular.
The controversy has ensnared big business and Major League Baseball, among others.
The Brennan Center for Justice keeps a running tally of state laws that threaten voting rights:
In a backlash to 2020’s historic voter turnout, and under the pretense of responding to baseless and racist allegations of voter fraud and election irregularities, state lawmakers have introduced a startling number of bills to curb the vote. As of March 24, legislators have introduced 361 bills with restrictive provisions in 47 states. footnote1_csyz2cq 1 That’s 108 more than the 253 restrictive bills tallied as of February 19, 2021 — a 43 percent increase in little more than a month.
