Gov. Abbott: MLB has ‘false narrative’ on GA voting law
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott rips the progressive backlash against the Georgia election reform bill and discusses the border crisis.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., has joined the growing backlash against Major League Baseball's decision to move this year's All-Star game in response to Georgia's controversial voting law.
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The "Midsummer Classic" was set for July 13 at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, until the MLB decided Friday to change its location -- a decision that was cheered by several large corporations. On Monday, MLB announced the game will now be played at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies.
Democrats and voting rights advocates argue that Georgia's new voting law, signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on March 25, would make it harder for people, particularly those of color, to vote.
Republican supporters say the law is needed to restore confidence in Georgia’s elections following the contentious 2020 presidential election and Georgia's two U.S. Senate runoff elections in January.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Scott noted that Georgia has 17 days of early voting compared to Colorado's 15 days of early voting.
Colorado also requires voters to show identification when voting in person, and the state says that first-time mail-in voters may be required to include a copy of their identification with their ballot. This is not far off from Georgia, which requires identification for in-person and absentee voting, although Georgia requires proof of identity for all absentee voting.
According to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office, voters without ID can use the last four digits of their Social Security number, a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or another government document with their name and address on it. Colorado relies on signature matching for absentee ballots other than those from first-time mail-in voters.
In addition, Colorado automatically sends absentee ballots to all registered voters, whereas Georgia only sends to those who request them, a measure meant to prevent sending ballots to the wrong address or to those no longer eligible to vote.
Scott also cited U.S. Census data from 2019, which found that Atlanta is 51% Black and 40.9% White, while Denver is 9.2% Black and 76% White.
"The MLB is moving the #MLBAllStarGame out of ATL which has more day of voting rights than CO?" Scott tweeted. "The Wokes are at it again folks."
GEORGIA VOTING LAW: READ FULL TEXT
Scott's tweet comes a day after Sen. Marco Rubio said the decision will "have a bigger impact on countless small and minority-owned businesses in and around Atlanta, than the new election law ever will."
Nearly 30% of businesses in Atlanta are Black-owned, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The 2020 All-Star Game, set to be hosted in Los Angeles, was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, which also cut last year's MLB regular season by more than half its normal length of 162 games. But the 2019 All-Star Game in Cleveland generated an estimated $65 million in regional economic activity.
Rubio also said the MLB's move "reeks of hypocrisy", citing the organization's ties to Cuba and China. He argued relocating the All-Star game is an "easy way to signal virtues without significant financial fallout" but that "speaking out against the Chinese Communist Party would involve a significant loss of revenue and being closed out of a lucrative market."
Former President Donald Trump and Sen. Rand Paul have also called for a boycott against the MLB in response to the move and Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott said he would not throw the ceremonial first pitch as planned at the Texas Rangers’ home opener, and that the state would no longer seek to host any future MLB events.
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Georgia's legislation places new restrictions on voting by mail, adds voter ID requirements, and limits ballot drop boxes. It also mandates two Saturdays of early voting ahead of general elections, an increase from just one, and leaves two Sundays as optional. In addition, the legislation bans outside groups from handing out food or water to those waiting in line to vote.
Fox News' Ronn Blitzer, David Aaro, Ryan Gaydos and Brittany De Lea contributed to this report.
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