Warnock Responds To Raffensperger’s Calling Him an “Election Denier”

• Sen. Raphael Warnock told CBS This MorningGeorgia’s voter suppression issue is still a concern. 
• He also addressed a WSJ opinion piece from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that called him an “election denier.”
• Warnock stated that voting laws can be improved. 

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock doubled Monday his argument that voter suppression happened in his home state Georgia despite his win at the December 6 runoff. 

Warnock stated during an interview that “we should not assume that voter suppression does not exist in Georgia” CBS this MorningHe was a retired football player who won against Republican Hershel.

Tony Dokoupil, CBS’s co-host, asked Warnock to answer a question about an interview. opinion pieceThis article ran in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday. Brad Raffensperger (Georgia Secretary of State) called Warnock an “election denier” and stated that his claims regarding voter suppression were “dangerous to public confidence in elections.” 

Raffensperger was referring in his piece to Warnock’s victory speech in which he stated that voter suppression took place in the state. Warnock has not changed his position. 

Warnock said Monday that just because people have had to overcome obstacles doesn’t mean that those barriers aren’t there. “We saw college students and seniors standing in long lines for hours. Perhaps he’s content with that. I’m not. I believe we can do better than this.”

Raffensperger is a Republican election official who rose to prominence after refusing change the 2020 voting results for Donald Trump. This was despite false claims of election corruption by the ex-president. Georgia voters reelectedRaffensperger November Over a Trump-backed challenger. 

Georgia Republicans passed a voting law2021 saw the expansion of early voting, the requirement for identification information for absentee voters, and a restructuring of the State Elections Board that gave it greater control over local election offices. It also prohibited voters from donating food, water, and chairs to those waiting in line. 

Democrats widely dissented the law, accusing it of targeting Black voters for suppression. President Joe Biden called it“Jim Crow in 21st Century”

Georgia saw however, record turnoutin the 2022 elections. Warnock stated that during his CBS This MorningInterviewer: It is important to improve voting laws not only in Georgia, but all across the United States. 

Warnock is among the main sponsors of Democrats’ voting rights legislation. The bill would nix state election restrictions to nationalize election laws — including automatic and same-day voter registration, making Election Day a national holiday, and allowing voters to present a broad set of ID cards when voting in person, among other provisions. 

Democrats don’t have enough votes in Senate to pass legislation. Biden has asked for temporary passage of the legislation by the Senate. set aside the filibusterThe bill was passed with 51 votes rather than 60 votes. However, not enough Democratic senators have agreed to the bill even in the next Congress. 

Warnock stated on CBS that “there is nothing more sacred” than the right of voting. “You can have the right of vote but not have access to it.”

Warnock mentioned a lawsuit regarding voting rights as an example of how voting accessibility could be improved. In November, Warnock’s campaign, the Democratic Party of Georgia and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee were successful. suedSo that voters could vote on the day after Thanksgiving, November 26, 2022 as an early voting day. 

While Georgian voters elected Republicans for other statewide offices, Democratic voters showed strong turnout during early elections. Biden became the first Democrat to win this state since 1992, when Bill Clinton won it.