President Biden has faced intense criticism on social media and from experts in recent days for repeating what many have branded a lie about Georgia’s years-old election law.
“Today in Georgia, people don’t have access to water while they wait in line to vote,” Biden told graduates of Morehouse College, a historically Black college in Atlanta, over the weekend. “What on earth does this mean?”
“It’s 2024” in the office of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger Post to X Regarding Mr. Biden’s claims. “I can’t believe we’re still dealing with lies from the left and the right about Georgia’s elections. Once again, there are no boundaries in Georgia. Biden apologized to election officials and addressed the real issues, viz. We owe it to ourselves to focus on this damn inflation that is hitting hard-working Georgians. ”
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President Biden criticized Georgia’s election law, calling it “Jim Crow 2.0.”
“This is a clearly untrue statement,” Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow Zach Smith told FOX News Digital. “All states prohibit election activities near polling places. Georgia election law prohibits giving money or gifts to voters to prevent undue influence on voters waiting to vote. It is an appropriate and reasonable policy to do so.”
Smith continued, “Of course, there is nothing in the law that prohibits poll workers from providing water to voters, and prohibits voters themselves from bringing snacks or water to eat and drink while waiting to vote. There’s nothing,” he continued.
Smith also pointed out that Georgia’s food and water law is similar to New York’s election law, which prohibits giving voters “meat, drinks, tobacco, snacks, or food items” unless they have a “retail value of less than $1.” said to be substantially the same.
“But Biden and others in his administration have not expressed concerns about that law. Why?” Smith said.
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President Biden speaks at a campaign event at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in Philadelphia on April 18, 2024. (Hannah Baier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Jason Sneed, executive director of the Honest Elections Project, told Fox News Digital. “Joe Biden is preaching about democracy, spreading misinformation aimed at delegitimizing elections and smearing his opponents.”
Snead continued, “For years, fact checkers have rejected Biden’s claims about Georgia’s election laws. Thanks to the laws that Joe Biden has disparaged, Georgia [a] “We saw a historically successful, highly voted and credible election in 2022, and we’re on track to do more of the same this year. There is no excuse for continuing to spread these lies ahead of a high-stakes election.”
Biden’s comments also drew strong criticism on social media.
Republican National Committee: “That’s a complete lie.” Posted in X.
“Even Democratic-leaning PolitiFact acknowledged that Georgia law, which has not resulted in a seditious “suppression,” “allows poll workers to set up self-service water stations for voters to use.” ” said Fox News contributor Guy Benson. Posted in X.
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Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (AP Photo/Ben Gray/File)
“He’s lying to sow racial division,” Red State writer Bonchy said. Posted in X. “The personification of evil.”
Critics of the law argue Georgia made it a crime to hand out water to people waiting in line, citing language that supporters say targets political groups trying to influence voters at polling places.
Politifact evaluated the complaint A leading Republican said Georgia “doesn’t criminalize” handing out water, saying it’s “mostly wrong,” and while the law makes certain cases misdemeanors, under the law poll workers can We acknowledge that we can provide water.
The article also acknowledges that people are allowed to hand out water or food “outside the 150-foot and 25-foot boundaries” outlined in the law.
White House press secretary Robin Patterson defended Biden’s comments, pointing to a PolitiFact article that said, “SB 202 would allow people, not just those affiliated with political groups, to buy food or drink water within 150 feet of a polling place.” SB 202 also sought to make it a crime to serve food or water within 25 feet of a voter in line.
The Biden administration has a history of attacking Georgia’s election laws, including a federal lawsuit it filed alleging the state engaged in “Jim Crow” voting practices.
