After “Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed the Republican-backed ‘Election Integrity Act of 2021,’ or SB 202, into law,” Democrats collapsed into a furious spiral of outrage.
Elizabeth Warren described SB 202 as a “despicable voter suppression bill,” which will “take Georgia back to Jim Crow.” MSNBC’s Joy Reid claimed that the “Georgia Jim Crow law” would suppress Democratic votes, while DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison argued that the “GOP is hellbent on ushering in Jim Crow 2.0.”
Firstly, it’s important to recognize that the Election Integrity Act of 2021 is not like Jim Crow. In fact, it’s nothing like Jim Crow, the laws imposed by Democrats in the late 19th and early 20th centuries which mandated the complete racial segregation of Southern states.
Beyond the undeniable historical fact that arguing that this bill is the “new Jim Crow” is an overwrought and intellectually offensive act of partisan hyperbole, it’s even more important to understand the foundation of bigotry on which the Democrats’ routine presumption of racism is built.
The most impactful change at the center of Georgia’s Election Integrity Act is that the state will now require that voters provide valid identification — in the form of a driver’s license or other state-recognized documentation — before they are able to cast their mail-in-ballot. Given that we require identification for a wide array of activities — such as driving a car, boarding a plane, or purchasing a firearm — the notion that identification is also required to vote is as reasonable an expectation as is possible.
Not for the Democrats, however. For them, the requirement that voters first provide proof of identification is evidence of racism. According to the ACLU, “Voter ID laws deprive many voters of their right to vote, reduce participation, and stand in direct opposition to our country’s trend of including more Americans in the democratic process.”
“Many Americans do not have one of the forms of identification acceptable for voting. These voters are disproportionately low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, the elderly, and people with disabilities,” the ACLU adds.
By referencing Jim Crow as part of their opposition to voter identification requirements, the Democrats are making the clear case that black people are somehow unable to obtain valid forms of identification.
This is a classic example of the “bigotry of low expectations,” the belief that one race is somehow less capable or intelligent than others. Indeed, it’s impossible to argue that requiring identification disproportionately impacts black people without relying on the bigoted view that skin color has anything to do with the ability to obtain an ID.
This form of bigotry is visible time after time when it comes to the race-obsessed ideology of the Left. They effectively claim that black people are incapable of voting on the day of elections, that black people are incapable of making sound financial decisions, and even that black people are incapable of surviving without the constant support of the government. A government made up of numerous white politicians who claim that they know what’s best for the black community.
You know what that’s called?
Racism.
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.