A federal judge ruled Wednesday that lawsuits haven’t yet proven that Georgia’s 2021 election law is racially discriminatory, a conclusion that leaves in place the law’s limitations on ballot drop boxes, voter ID and water handouts to voters in line.
The decision denies efforts by the U.S. Department of Justice and several other plaintiffs to block the law while the case moves toward a trial.
“Plaintiffs have not shown, at least at this stage of the proceedings, that any of the provisions have a disparate impact on Black voters,” U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee wrote in his decision denying preliminary injunctions.
The election law, passed by the Republican-controlled Georgia General Assembly after Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, created many new regulations for absentee and early voting.
Boulee’s order leaves in place rules that restrict drop boxes to one per 100,000 active registered voters, require additional forms of ID for absentee voting, ban volunteers from distributing food and water to voters, prohibit counting most provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct, and shorten absentee ballot application deadlines.
Update: The decision is here.