Cliff Albright and LaTosha Brown, Co-Founders of Black Voters Matter and April England-Albright, National Legal Director of Black Voters Matter issue a statement following announcement from Atlanta City Council on plans to use voter suppression tactic for #StopCopCity referendum petition
We strongly condemn the recent announcement from the Atlanta City Council regarding plans to use signature matching, a form of voter suppression, for the Stop Cop City referendum petition. It is disgraceful and hypocritical that our local city officials are adopting the same tactics that organizations in our state are currently suing Republican lawmakers for. The state of Georgia has a history of voter suppression, including the 2018 use of signature matching that resulted in 3% of absentee ballots being thrown out in the general election and the passage of Senate Bill 202 in 2021.
The City of Atlanta has proudly proclaimed to be a city that’s too busy to hate, yet it appears that our elected officials have found time to engage in voter suppression. As we witness Trump and his conspirators building their offense to block democracy, it is alarming to see Atlanta Mayor, Andre Dickens and City Council taking a page out of the Republican playbook. These tactics, including their attempt to use the courts to block a ballot initiative, demonstrate that the Mayor and City Council do not truly represent the will of the people.
We call on Mayor Dickens and City Council to immediately rescind their decision to impose signature matching for the #StopCopCity referendum petition. Let us build a stronger democracy by empowering our communities, not by silencing them.
