North Gwinnett News

Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA) affirmed her support for a piece of legislation that would broaden voter registration and voting access after other Democratic colleagues have dropped their support.

Bourdeaux, who represents Georgia’s Seventh Congressional District that’s based in Gwinnett County, announced her continued support for HR1 via Twitter on June 7, saying that “inaction is not an option.”

“Our elections must be safe and secure, but that doesn’t mean they should be inaccessible. It shouldn’t be partisan — we must pass the #ForThePeopleAct,” she Tweeted.

Other Democrats, especially members of the Congressional Black Caucus, have expressed concern over the bill and Democrat leaders worry the bill will failing in the face of decreasing support among congressional democrats, the New York Times said.

Bourdeaux’s call for Democratic lawmakers to stay the course may be a challenge. WSET reported that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has crossed the aisle to vote with all 50 Republicans in opposition of the bill.

HR1 would eliminate hundreds of state election integrity laws, including those recently passed in Georgia, and govern elections from the federal level with measures negotiated by left-wing activists, Real Clear Politics reported.

The bill would also register nearly everyone in the United States to vote, including violent felons, and prevent states from maintaining the integrity of their voter rolls by monitoring whether registered voters are deceased, Real Clear Politics said.

HR1 also mandates universal mail-in ballots and allows political operatives to collect and submit an unlimited number of mail-in ballots up until 10 days after the election, the news media site said.

Bourdeaux, who was a professor at the Andrew Young School of Public Policy at Georgia State University from 2003 to 2021, was elected to her position with just 51% of the vote in the 2020 election, the Georgia Secretary of State's office reported.

She was the only Democrat to be elected in a swing district in 2020.