FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 13, 2006

Buckner cheers suspension of Voter ID law

ATLANTA - Wednesday, the state Supreme Court denied the Governor's request to overturn Fulton County Superior Court Judge Mel Westmoreland's restraining order implemented last Friday. Citing constitutional merit, Westmoreland suspended the infamous 2006 (and 2005) Voter ID law because it erects unnecessary obstacles to voting.

Rep. Gail Buckner (D-Jonesboro), a 16-year House member and the leading candidate for her party's nomination for Secretary of State has been a booming voice in the chorus of jeers directed at the GOP proposal.

The subject of widespread criticism for its restrictive nature, the measure was struck down in the wake of the 2005 session by a federal judge. What's more, some embarrassing revelations surfaced from a subsequent investigation launched by the U.S. Justice Department. One of particular concern was the chief sponsor's absurd claim to investigators that African-Americans in her area only voted when they were paid to do so.

"This bill was a dog from day one, and I gladly voted against what amounts to poll tax and the nation's most restrictive voter requirement. This year's revisions were like putting lipstick on a pig, and I'm thrilled that the courts agreed. It doesn't even address the actual source of voter fraud, which is perpetuated through absentee voting. A lot of our seniors and African-Americans fought, bled, and sacrificed loved ones for this right, and I applaud the Judiciary's intervention. And, if this doesn't underscore the argument to renew LBJ's Voting Rights Act then I don't know what does." said Buckner.

"This ID law isn't as cut and dry as its authors would lead us to believe. On the contrary, there's shades of grey in its language that drudges up a lot of pain and animosity, and it's a deliberate attempt to prolong a rancid culture of political divisiveness", Buckner added.

To complement her stance against the Voter ID law and for the Voting Rights Act renewal, Buckner has proposed a measure to allow voting on Saturdays. "This is a common sense measure. Most working men and women can't just take off to go vote. My proposal would rectify that; after all we should be doing everything in our power to encourage voting not to impede it. If elected your next Secretary of State, I'll do everything humanly possible to make sure the former and not the latter is the trend of the future".

Gail Buckner is the most experienced state official and the most successful campaigner in the Democratic Primary for Georgia Secretary of State. For more information, visit her official web site at www.gailbuckner.com.

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