Since 2020, election officials are “leaving in droves,” in many cases due to the misinformation campaigns and the subsequent threats made against them. In fact, the FBI issued a warning a few weeks ago that in seven states, including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin, there have been an unusual level of threats continuing against election officials. In states like Arizona and Georgia, we’ve also seen how voter intimidation and suppression tactics are being used with baseless claims of "voter fraud" as justification. 

In Georgia, Joe Biden became the first Democratic president to win Georgia in nearly three decades in 2020. And strong voter turnout helped send two Democrats to the US Senate. Flipping control of the chamber to the Democratic party and making the state of Georgia a swing state. 

But even as Democrats where celebrating their wins, Republican lawmakers in Georgia, were seizing on the potential political gains from Trump's, ‘Big Lie.’ And through that traction of disinformation passed the controversial Georgia Senate Bill SB 202. Which restricts almost all aspects of voting, including a provision that has made it easier for regular citizens to challenge the eligibility of other voters in their county. 

We speak with Lawrence Norden, senior director of the Elections and Government Program for the Brennan Center for Justice, to hear about how political violence and threats of violence are playing out for the Midterms, and what it means for our democracy and free and fair elections. On The Media reporter, Micah Loewinger also joins The Takeaway to talk about how this is affecting voters, in the latest installment of our occasional series, Georgia at the Intersections.

Since 2020, election officials are “leaving in droves,” in many cases due to the misinformation campaigns and the subsequent threats made against them. In fact, the FBI issued a warning a few weeks ago that in seven states, including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin, there have been an unusual level of threats continuing against election officials. In states like Arizona and Georgia, we’ve also seen how voter intimidation and suppression tactics are being used with baseless claims of "voter fraud" as justification. 

In Georgia, Joe Biden became the first Democratic president to win Georgia in nearly three decades in 2020. And strong voter turnout helped send two Democrats to the US Senate. Flipping control of the chamber to the Democratic party and making the state of Georgia a swing state. 

But even as Democrats where celebrating their wins, Republican lawmakers in Georgia, were seizing on the potential political gains from Trump's, ‘Big Lie.’ And through that traction of disinformation passed the controversial Georgia Senate Bill SB 202. Which restricts almost all aspects of voting, including a provision that has made it easier for regular citizens to challenge the eligibility of other voters in their county. 

We speak with Lawrence Norden, senior director of the Elections and Government Program for the Brennan Center for Justice, to hear about how political violence and threats of violence are playing out for the Midterms, and what it means for our democracy and free and fair elections. On The Media reporter, Micah Loewinger also joins The Takeaway to talk about how this is affecting voters, in the latest installment of our occasional series, Georgia at the Intersections.