Fact Test: Senator Tim Scott ‘Mostly False’ Comparing Voting Rules in Georgia and Colorado | WFAE 90.7

It’s now time for our weekly political fact check, and this time we focus our attention on South Carolina. In a recent tweet comparing voting rules in Georgia and Colorado, Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott said Georgia allows 17 days of early voting, while Colorado allows only 15 days. Scott posted the tweet after Major League Baseball decided to move this year’s All-Star Game from Atlanta to Colorado in protest of Georgia’s strict new voting law.

WRAL’s Paul Specht joins us to review Scott’s claim.

Marshall Terry: First, Paul, can you give us an overview of what the legislation in Georgia does and why Major League Baseball opposes it?

Paul Specht: Yes I can. Georgia’s new voting rights increase electoral security, but critics say some unnecessary obstacles are being set. And some of it narrows the window for voters to ask for emails they have had 49 days to do so. Now they only have 29 days. It contains new requirements for voter IDs, and the same applies to ballot papers. This places a limit on the number of boxes for ballots during early voting. And in general, during the run-off elections, the early voting is shortened, as we saw in the Senate races earlier this year.

So there is a lot in this bill. These are just a few things. And with Major League Baseball, they did not necessarily condemn one particular part of the bill as much, as they issued a total reprimand of the bill. They said, you know, we need to demonstrate that our values ​​as a sport, by shifting this All-Star Game, support our voting rights for all Americans and oppose the limitations of the ballot box. And they left it there.

Terry: Sen Scott is critical of Major League Baseball’s decision to move the game. Was he correct in that tweet we’re talking about when he said Georgia allows more early voting days than Colorado?

Woodpecker: He’s right when you look at early voting – and the distinction is the key. Georgia appears to have more early voting days than Colorado, but that’s for early voting.

If we take a step back and look at what it means to vote early and look at the big picture here, we need to consider that Colorado sends ballot papers by registered voter. And so if we look at early voting through the lens, then it’s clear that Colorado voters have easier access to a vote. They do not have to go anywhere. And depending on when they receive it by email, they will have more days to consider their vote and to vote than anyone in Georgia may have.

And so we saw it during the presidential election in 2020 during the most recent election. The numbers show us how different these states are in terms of access to the ballot. In Colorado, 94% of ballots came by mail. In Georgia, it was 26%. And when it comes to early voting, only 3% of all voting in Colorado is done early in person. In Georgia, 54% of people trusted the people with early votes.

These states, they just do things differently. And because Georgia does not send ballots to its voters, it is not fair to indicate that they offer more access to the ballot.

Terry: You reached Scott’s office about this tweet. What did he say?

Woodpecker: They said that his tweet contained an incorrect type and that it should have said that they had more days of voting rights, and that is a direct quote, ‘more days of voting rights’. But even if we look at it, it is not true.

Let’s go back to Tim Scott’s tweet. He said the MLB is moving the All-Star Game out of Atlanta, which has “more” day of “voting rights than Colorado.” But when we talk about ‘day of’ voting rights, it is usually registration on the same day that is referred to. Can you vote, register to vote and vote on the same day? And he’s wrong there too. Colorado presents registrations on the same day and Georgia cuts off registrations about a month before election day. And so he is at the front as well.

Terry: So how did you rate Tim Scott’s claim?

Woodpecker: We consider it ‘mostly false’. And what this means is that here is an element of truth. Technically, Scott equated the number of people who are in each state early voting day. However, if we take a step back and look at the big picture, who has more access? Who has it easier to get their vote? Clearly, Colorado is having an easier time. Their ballot papers are mailed to them and they have more registrations on the same day. So it was a clear ‘mostly false’.

Terry: All right, Paul, thank you.

Woodpecker: Thank you.