Leaders of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) sent a letter to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R), urging him to withdraw his support for the state’s new election integrity legislation, which they refer to as a “voter suppression law.”
“We write to condemn the voter suppression law Senate Bill 202, which threatens to undermine the pillar of our democracy — the right to vote,” reads the letter, obtained by Deadline, written by DGA president Thomas Schlamme and national executive director Russell Hollander. “President Biden has referred to the law both as an ‘atrocity’ and as a modern-day version of Jim Crow.”
Last month, Governor Kemp signed a bill aimed at improving state election integrity. The bill seeks to strengthen voting rules in the Peach State by limiting the number of ballot drop boxes and establishing photo ID requirements for absentee voters, among other things. Kemp blasted Biden and essentially said voters in Georgia have more voting access than do voters in Biden’s home state of Delaware.
“If you look at these comparisons, the state of Delaware has no in-person early voting. We have 17 days. In Georgia, you don’t have to have an excuse to get an absentee ballot by mail. In Delaware, you do. We have drop boxes. Delaware does not,” Kemp said last week. And if you want to get a bottle of water while you are standing in line in Georgia, you can absolutely do that. The elections officials can help you with that, but you can’t do that in Delaware because they don’t have early voting.”
The move has sparked outrage among left-wing activists, who consider the legislation an attack on minorities, suggesting that members of the black community cannot figure out how to acquire a photo ID, among other bizarre assumptions.
The DGA’s letter to Governor Kemp claims SB 202 will also “suppress the voice of black people and other people of color,” as well as “racially profile intimidate voters of color” by “allowing for unlimited challenges to a voter’s registration.”
“In the racially diverse Atlanta metro area where many of our members of color live, the number of registered voters far exceeds the availability of polling places,” the DGA elaborates. “Voting lines have been particularly long in nine Atlanta area counties with large black populations.”
The DGA also claims the law will “disenfranchise” its own members within the entertainment industry, mentioning “arduous work schedules,” “long hours,” and “weekend work” allegedly making it more difficult for DGA members to vote in person.
“Our jobs involve long hours (often 12 hours or more a day) and frequent weekend work. They take us to sound stages and shooting locations across county lines as well as international borders, on assignments that may last up to a year or more,” the DGA explains. “Because of our arduous work schedules, our members have a particular need to avail themselves of early and absentee voting.”
“And they will be particularly at risk of the new law’s limitations on ballot drop boxes, early voting in run-offs, and absentee voting,” the letter adds.
Hollywood elites have become particularly invested in Georgia politics in recent years, due to tax incentives that have brought the entertainment industry to the Peach State and relocated swarms of its left-wing members to Georgia.
“As a leading voice representing creative workers in the industry, we are compelled to denounce SB 202, which will disenfranchise our members, and disproportionately impact our members of color, and millions of other hardworking Georgians,” the DGA affirms.
The letter adds that it was written “on behalf of the more than 18,000 members” of the DGA, “including more than 400 who make their home in Georgia, and hundreds more who choose Georgia as the location for their film and television projects.”
“We urge you to reconsider your support for this misguided law and to make every effort to unwind its restrictions before it takes full effect on July 1st,” the DGA concludes in its letter.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler @alana, and on Instagram.
