With that said, the union was big on that move. Which is kind of interesting, wonder how many Atlanta players will give up their salaries not to play their home games in GA.

Love the attempt at downplaying the voter suppression laws.

I assume as a totally non conservative non trumper you are actually MORE angry at Republican law makers punishing businesses for simple capitalism and distancing themselves from this bad policy agenda...

I’m totally surprised you haven’t posted your outrage about that...

What Georgia’s Voting Law Really Does

The New York Times analyzed the state’s new 98-page voting law and identified 16 key provisions that will limit ballot access, potentially confuse voters and give more power to Republican lawmakers.

Here are the most significant changes to voting in the state, as written into the new law:

• Voters will now have less time to request absentee ballots.
• There are strict new ID requirements for absentee ballots.
• It’s now illegal for election officials to mail out absentee ballot applications to all voters.
• Drop boxes still exist … but barely.
• Mobile voting centers (think an R.V. where you can vote) are essentially banned.
• Early voting is expanded in a lot of small counties, but probably not in more populous ones.
• Offering food or water to voters waiting in line now risks misdemeanor charges.
• If you go to the wrong polling place, it will be (even) harder to vote.
• If election problems arise, a common occurrence, it is now more difficult to extend voting hours.
• With a mix of changes to vote-counting, high-turnout elections will probably mean a long wait for results.
• Election officials can no longer accept third-party funding (a measure that nods to right-wing conspiracy theories).
• With an eye toward voter fraud, the state attorney general will manage an election hotline.
• The Republican-controlled legislature has more control over the State Election Board.
• The secretary of state is removed as a voting member of the State Election Board.
• The G.O.P.-led legislature is empowered to suspend county election officials.
• Runoff elections will happen faster — and could become harder to manage.

I think if you wanted to make a statement about the voting law, you'd have the team not playing any games there. Moving the AS game is a token move, and only hurts the city, the team, the teams fans, and not the state, or it's legislators.

Sounds like it would be easier to just let the legislature decides who wins, and it would also save a lot of money.

Having the team not play there for the season would be difficult to arrange on short notice, and would have a far, far larger impact on the city, the team, and their fans. Moving an AS game during Covid will probably have a fairly minimal impact on anyone, but makes a pretty big and loud statement. Sort of an 80/20 rule in play here, only it's more like 99/1 IMO. Most of the impact with far less of the pain.

And if Caleb Hull is truly worried (LOL) specifically because Atlanta is 60% POC, I'm pretty sure they could find another city or two where the same is the case, or close.

The blue jays did it last year, under much more trying circumstances.

LOL. They did it because they had to, with quite a bit more time. It had no downside, and only upside. You have to know this comparison is ridiculous. I wasn't suggesting that it couldn't be done, just that it would be high cost for little gain.

I think Democrats should pass a law providing funds for ID's, can get it funded and process same way you get Obama phones. Show a food stamp card, or other proof of government aid.

or you know. you could find any evidence of in person voter fraud to warrant the proposal..

modern voting fraud simply doesn't exist in any statistically relevant way. there's no reason to spend money on combatting a problem that simply ISN'T REAL.

Okay. That's irrelevant to getting people IDs. You're not going to change the Georgia law.

None of us are going to change any laws by discussing them on a forum - does that mean we shouldn't talk about any of them? And LOL @ saying that's irrelevant to getting people IDs, as if discussion of the Georgia law has nothing to do with why you mentioned this.

It's tangentially related. I mean, you have this issue that could prevent people from voting... sure...whatever. But when you think about the issue in broader context, you see these folks are economically isolated by having no ID. I'm sorry you cant to figure that out for yourself and attribute cynical interpretations to stuff, after all, you want to rail against republicans...I get it.

I'm not able to figure it out and attributing cynical interpretations? You're the one who said it was irrelevant. I laughed at that, and you've now suggested they're tangentially related. In other words - not irrelevant. So, what is it I'm not able to figure out?

Right, you have an issue with semantics.

Can you register to vote anywhere w/o showing any form of ID along the way?
I've always thought the voter ID thing was more about being required to show it at polling places??

I don't really care either way about any random states voting laws. Just the focus on ID seems a bit odd, because you really don't see much being done to help people get ID's.

the focus on id's is because republicans know that is how they can disenfranchise poor people, mostly minorities. there is REALLY no in person voter fraud to worry about. i think i read the only case in georgia's recent history was an identical twin which obviously had ID.


ID's shouldn't be needed to vote. but i also think that non driver's state ID's should be free to all, and as easy as possible to get. people laugh at the idea that some people can't get id's or that 20-50 dollars isn't that expensive for a one time item, but those are the same people that probably never have to take their ID out of their wallets.

I agree that should be done. Along with a law dictating what other forms of ID are applicable.

But we should not take our eye off the ball here.

What Republicans are doing is buying big data on voter habits and patterns and they contrast the lists looking for anything Democrats 'rely upon' or 'have' or 'have not', or 'do' that Republicans do in lesser proportions and they then use backward rationalizations to find ways to try and exclude those things or make them more difficult.


Republican 1 - sir we can see in the Data that Dems have to travel farther to polls, line up longer and utilize after work hours and weekend voting more.

Republican 2 - excellent. Find us reasons then to close even more polling places, remove drop boxes, reduce hours and ensure they cannot get water or food given to them, if they run out or forget to bring some. Oh and lets restrict voter ID's while we are at it.


What you will never see, is Republicans targeting things that disproportionately impact their voters despite the FACT that almost all the voter fraud we see is perpetrated by Republican voters.

Hmmm wonder why??

Pull up the map of states by voter ID laws specifically photo id required--one story will immediately jump out at you It's not that big of a leap to the next steps as far as thinking about the reasons why

You know as an outsider of the USA I just do not see an issue with a person who votes presenting an ID or the fact if you want to vote by Absentee ballot you need to provide an ID number.

I get Delta Airlines is offended are they going to allow folks without an ID board their airplane?

The biggest issue I see is no you should not provide water or food to folks in line for hours because no one should have to stand in line that long to vote. Voting should be easy

Funny many democratic states have the same requirements on their books.

Of course we can just 'help people get ID's'.

Stacy Abrams has built a machine in Georgia to help people over come the hurdles republicans keep throwing at them in an attempt to disenfranchise ever more Dem voters.

Good for her and good for democracy. She is doing exactly the right thing and people now need to adapt and get the proper ID.

But we also need to tackle the root of the real issue here, as per my prior post Republicans will continue to dissect the data and find reasons to make random, unnecessary rules, that do nothing to improve election safety, simply knowing that if you keep forcing people to take new steps a certain percent of people will not get that thing done in time and thus won't be able to vote.

The idea that black people don't have ID is one of the more fun racist tropes out there.