Voting? An obstacle to overcome. 

“I’m a Georgia Voter” is the catchphrase on stickers voters receive after successfully casting their votes. However, despite being eligible, many people do not get the chance to receive this sticker. 

After the 2020 elections, despite having the votes counted three times, state legislators passed SB 202. This law restricts dropbox locations, tightens identification requirements, allows unlimited challenges to voter registrations and changes the deadlines for requesting mail-in ballots. It is also well-known for banning “line relief,” which includes giving food and water to those in long lines.

Many regard this bill as a racially discriminatory, illegal law that disenfranchises voters, especially voters of color. These voter suppression tactics specifically harm minority voters casting their ballots. 

Though laws such as SB 202 affect minorities throughout the state, the Latino community is taking the biggest hit. Latinos are the second-fastest growing voter group in the U.S. after Asian Americans, making up 6% of eligible voters in Georgia. Despite this, Latino voter turnout has remained the lowest of all major racial and ethnic groups. Latinos in Athens-Clarke County make up 12% of the country’s population, with many being new voters.

Many Latino first-time voters are first-generation Americans and the only eligible voters in their households. Learning the voting process is not easy when there is no guidance within a household. Questions such as how to vote, how absentee ballots work or even how early voting starts are standard in Latino communities. Without state guidance, many first-time voters in households with no other eligible voters are left in the dark. 

Access to the Internet and smartphones allows campaigns to use their digital platforms for outreach, which is the easiest form of digital campaigning. In Georgia, however, 5% of Latino eligible voters do not have access to the Internet, suggesting that campaigns are not reaching these eligible voters or providing them with information about how to vote. 

It is important to note the uniqueness of the Latino community of both Georgia and Athens-Clarke County to understand how voter suppression can affect upcoming elections. More needs to be done to reach out to the Latino community to increase voter participation.

Despite voter suppression throughout the state, Athens-Clarke County was the first county to voluntarily provide an electronic ballot option in Spanish, doing so for the 2024 election. Gwinnett County was the first to provide a Spanish ballot option, though it did so through a government mandate. Language-accessible ballots are a considerable step toward the inclusivity of minorities throughout the state, but we have work left to do.

Through H.B. 1014, New Hampshire requires public school districts and private high schools to adopt policies that promote student voter registration, inform students of registration requirements and assist with filing registration applications. 

Having no voter education is an obstacle that many minorities are forced to overcome, but it is not a high barrier. Although this may not sound like a big deal to first-time voters in a household with no other eligible voters, this education is crucial to avoiding obstacles to casting their ballots. 

The state of Minnesota is an excellent example of expanding voter rights instead of voter suppression. These bills include H.F. 3 and the Minnesota Voting Rights Act (MVRA). The MVRA bans voter suppression by government officials and instructs courts to take action to fix the problem. It also empowers voters, organizations and the Attorney General to sue local officials who engage in discriminatory voter suppression. 

These voter protection bills passed in Minnesota have helped both states rank near the top of voter turnout, and eligible voters will soon find that voting has become even easier than it has in the past. 

In the state of Georgia, voter suppression laws have been targeting minorities, making many eligible voters have a hard time casting their ballots. For Latinos around the state to have their voices heard in elections, there must be more rights to protect eligible voters. We must pursue stronger voter education initiatives, voter protection at polling locations and campaigns with direct Latino outreach. 

Eliana Mendez is a second-year student at the University of Georgia studying Political Science and International Affairs. She is a member of the voting rights group.