Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich offered his assistance to his counterpart in Georgia in the state’s escalating battle with the Biden administration over election reforms.
Brnovich wrote a letter to Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr on Friday offering to aid in Georgia’s legal fight against the Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ is suing Georgia over election reforms signed into law in March.
“As the Attorney General of Arizona, another state where the DOJ is attempting to intimidate local officials, please know that we stand with you in this fight and will do whatever we can to push back against this blatantly political and unmerited attack,” Brnovich wrote. He cited the DOJ’s interference in Arizona’s election audit of Maricopa County.
“The DOJ’s announcement today seems absurdly partisan, coming on the heels of S. 1, a defeated effort by Democrats to roll over the powers reserved for the states and nationalize our elections,” he continued, referring to the Democrats’ effort to federalize much of the election process. “The executive branch is now attempting to override the will of the legislature.”
“Today, the fight has come to Georgia. Tomorrow, it will be in Arizona, and if left unchallenged, the DOJ will intimidate other states in an attempt to undermine the Constitution and force submission to the relentless will of the current federal administration. We must not be deterred by these threats,” Brnovich said. “As state officials, we must all stand together to defend federalism and state sovereignty against federal overreach.”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland last week announced that the DOJ was suing Georgia over its voting reforms, alleging that the new laws were designed to disenfranchise minority voters.
“Today, the Department of Justice is suing the state of Georgia. Our complaint alleges that recent changes to Georgia’s election laws were enacted with the purpose of denying or abridging the right of black Georgians to vote on account of their race or color in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act,” Garland said in a press conference.
“Several studies show that Georgia experienced record voting turnout and participation rates in the 2020 election cycle. Approximately two-thirds of eligible voters in the state cast a ballot in the November election, just over the national average. This is cause for celebration,” Garland continued. “But then in March of 2021, Georgia’s legislature passed SB 202. Many of that law’s provisions make it harder for people to vote. The complaint alleges that the state enacted those restrictions with the purpose of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race of color.”
Democrats have used Georgia’s new voting reforms to attack Georgia Republicans and to push corporations and others to boycott the state. The public pressure campaign appeared to work on Major League Baseball, which moved its all-star game and 2021 draft out of Georgia over the election reform controversy.
Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp ripped President Joe Biden and other Democrats for spreading “lies” about the election law after the MLB pulled out of the state.
“This attack on our state is the direct result of repeated lies from Joe Biden and Stacey Abrams about a bill that expands access to the ballot box and ensures the integrity of our elections,” Kemp said. “I will not back down. Georgians will not be bullied. We will continue to stand up for secure, accessible, fair elections.”