MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TAKES A STAND FOR VOTING RIGHTS

Georgia Public Officials’ Voter Suppression Law already costing jobs and revenue

By East County News Service 

April 3, 2021 (Washington D.C.) -- Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Friday that the 2021 All-Star Game and MLB draft will no longer take place in the state of Georgia after the state recently passed legislation designed to disenfranchise voters. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, acting president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law..

“With this announcement, Major League Baseball is sending a very clear message – the voices and votes of Black Americans matter. After Georgia passed one of the most despicable and blatantly discriminatory voter suppression bills since the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, we are glad to see that MLB is taking a firm and unyielding stance on protecting the fundamental right to vote.  This announcement demonstrates the type of moral clarity the entire business community should have on any efforts that infringe upon this sacred right. 

“While this show of support is exceptionally welcome, there are still more than 300 voter suppression bills pending in state legislatures across the country. We need more corporate leaders, sports organizations, and also Congress to take action now. The forthcoming John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and For the People Act must be passed and signed into law.” 

The Georgia voter law, recently signed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp, severely restricts ballot access in the state and has been widely criticized by voting and civil rights advocates as intended to suppress minority votes. It introduces barriers to voters to access and submit absentee ballots, limits voting hours, and even prohibits the distribution of water and food in voting lines. The Georgia law also shifts control of state elections to the legislature instead of the secretary of state and gives partisan legislators more control over county election officials.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of voting rights, criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and hate crimes.  For more information, visit https://lawyerscommittee.org.