Why the Voting-by-Mail Fight May Be a Sideshow
The Republican-controlled Georgia state senate voted on March 8 to kill the no-excuse voting by mail
that a previous Republican-controlled legislature put on the books way back
in 2005. But something interesting happened along the way: This change has been opposed by several top Republicans in the state, and Governor Brian Kemp is not onboard either. Maybe these hard-boiled Georgia Republicans understand that the bipartisan belief that liberalized voting by mail cost Trump their state and ultimately the White House is far from clearly supported by the evidence.
I noted recently that Emory University political scientist Alan Abramowitz conducted a regression analysis that convinced him Joe Biden would have won without significantly higher levels of voting by mail. Last week, a new Stanford University study reached the same conclusion:
A bipartisan state Senate bill would ban use of hand-held cellphones and other wireless devices while driving.
Senate Bill 20, titled Hands Free NC, was introduced Wednesday. The bill, if signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper, would go into effect July 1.
It has as primary sponsors Republicans Jim Burgin of Johnson County and Kevin Corbin of Cherokee County, and Democrat Mike Woodard of Durham County. Republican Sen. Vickie Sawyer of Yadkin County is a co-sponsor.
Burgin said the bill contains several elements from House Bill 144 from 2019, also titled Hands Free NC, as well as language from a similar bill that passed the Republican-controlled Georgia legislature.