STATEMENT FROM CBTU
PRESIDENT REV. TERRENCE MELVIN

On Thursday, Georgia Republicans passed a comprehensive law to restrict voting
access in the state, introducing more inflexible voter identification requirements for
absentee balloting, reducing drop boxes, and expanding the Legislature’s power over
elections. They even tried to eliminate Sunday voting which we know was directed at
black folks in the state. WHY? Because a Pandemic could not stop us so the
legislature must. Instead of reaching out to black voters with an extended hand on
what they stand for, the Republican legislature with the help of Gov. Kemp, decided
that a blade in the back would be better. This law will now ban people from giving
out water at polling locations.

In November of last year, I warned us that Donald Trump was crying wolf about
election theft and the GA. Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from
November to January spoke that there was no election fraud and the Donald Trump
was exaggerating the election.
In the Jan. 2 phone call, Trump urged Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, to “find”
enough votes to overturn his Georgia loss. The transcript quotes Trump telling
Raffensperger: “All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes,” which is the
number Trump needed to win. Now for Republicans to win they have decided to
change the rules.

CBTU is happy to stand with the Black Voters Matter Fund, New Georgia Project
and Rise Inc. and support their lawsuit. It asks that the "Voter Suppression Bill" be
overturned for violating the Voting Rights Act and the First and 14th Amendments of
the U.S. Constitution by placing undue burdens on voting rights. The suit names
Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who pushed back on
former President Donald Trump's false claims of massive voter fraud in the 2020
presidential election, along with other Georgia election officials as defendants.
We will continue to update everyone on all voting rights issues and how each CBTU
chapter can help.