I‘ve been on the fence about Georgia’s Voter ID bill that Sonny Perdue recently signed into law, so I haven’t written anything about it. You can run around in circles all day with “on the other handisms” if you want to with this particular bill. I saw the Democrats’ point that lowering the number of acceptable forms of ID at the polls could make it harder for the poor and for senior citizens to vote. It struck me as an incremental step back toward “only white land-owning males vote.” Yet, I thought to myself, what’s really so difficult about having to go ONCE to get a FREE state-issued photo ID? And that’s only for the few people who don’t have drivers’ licenses. It had a whiff of voter rights suppression, but I was open to listen to the Republican argument that it will help cut down on voter fraud.

Reading this article (login) in the Athens Banner-Herald about a hidden provision swayed me over to the Democrats’ side about the bill having more nefarious intentions.

[T]he bill also shifted the date of elections for nonpartisan offices — judgeships, school board and, in Athens-Clarke, mayor and commission [from July to November].

[...]

If no one person gets more than half the votes, a run-off election will be held three weeks after the general election — in the middle of a holiday week.

So, run-off elections for non-partisan offices have been shifted to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That reeks, and is clearly targeted at affecting the outcomes of races for judgeships. As you know, there’s little love lost between the judiciary and today’s Republican Party. So, bravo to the Republicans for once again out-thinking the Democrats. While Dems were all hopping up and down, mad as hell about the bill’s potential to affect a small percentage of voter rights (as it may or may not have), the real point of the bill passes through virtually unabated.

Goddamn, where is a real opposition party when you need it? This thing has already passed, so it’s a little late now.