Democratic congressional leaders have become increasingly transparent in their opposition to even the most rudimentary election-security proposals.
During a hearing this week, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) compared measures like voter-identification requirements to racist laws of the Jim Crow era.
“Rearing its ugly head”
“Some of these voter suppression laws in Georgia and other Republican states smack of Jim Crow rearing its ugly head once again,” he claimed.
Schumer is apparently sticking to the strategy of his party’s progressive wing to push for the expansion of so-called voting rights while standing firmly against any reform proposals originating on the other side of the aisle.
For their part, Republican lawmakers have been overwhelming against H.R. 1 and S. 1, bills presented in the House and Senate, respectively, that conservative critics say would give the federal government too much power over state-level elections.
Measures like no-excuse absentee voting and less restrictive identification requirements have attracted opposition from most GOP leaders. As a result of voicing their criticism, Schumer is among those accusing Republicans of tacitly admitting they cannot win elections without relying on “voter suppression” tactics like the ones imposed by Jim Crow laws.
Schumer drove home that argument on Wednesday, bemoaning efforts by Republicans to pass stricter voting laws as “infuriating” and evidence that the GOP is “afraid” of democracy.
“Still seems to be with us”
“It is 160 years since the 13, 14, and 15th amendments abolished slavery, and Jim Crow still seems to be with us,” the Senate leader claimed.
Schumer insisted that the GOP is using the same type of “states’ rights” arguments used to oppose civil rights legislation during the mid-20th century.
“We’ve been down this road before,” he continued. “Just leave it to the states to discriminate against African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, younger Americans in college. It is shameful our Republican colleagues are proposing these ideas in 2020.”
Further infuriating Democrats was a law enacted this week in Georgia that implements changes such as limited ballot drop boxes, enhanced voter ID requirements for mail-in ballots, shortened runoff periods, and bans on volunteers offering food and drinks to voters.
Contrary to what the far-left would like voters to believe, research indicates a majority of Americans support measures like more robust voter ID laws.
The post Schumer claims GOP-backed election security measures ‘smack of Jim Crow’ first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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