According to a Rasmussen Reports survey, 48% of voters believe President Biden, as well as Major League Baseball (MLB), should apologize to the state of Georgia over the 2021 All-Star Game debacle. Biden urged MLB to move the game from the state after Georgia lawmakers enacted election integrity measures. Biden referred to the legislation as “Jim Crow 2.0” and “voter suppression” in urging MLB to act. The league ultimately complied and moved the game to Colorado, costing Georgia business owners millions of dollars.
The Georgia voting law — like so many others being pursued by Republicans in statehouses across the country — is a blatant attack on the right to vote, the Constitution, and good conscience.
It’s Jim Crow in the 21st Century — and it must end.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 26, 2021
“Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views. I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft,” commissioner of Baseball Robert Manfred said after Biden’s request to move the game.
The commissioner repeated the patently false claim that Georgia was “restricting access to the ballot box” in a statement, as did a number of MLB executives. Then Marlins President Derek Jeter put out a statement in support of the move at the time, again repeating the false claim that Georgia was “restricting access” to the polls.
BREAKING: Derek Jeter releases a statement supporting Rob Manfred’s decision to pull the All-Star game out of the state of Georgia. pic.twitter.com/0qYIHmNtsY
— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) April 2, 2021
A little over year later, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey has found that 56% of likely U.S. voters disagree with Biden’s claim that Georgia’s new law was “Jim Crow 2.0” and his accusation that Republicans were “trying to subvert our elections.”
Of that number, 49% “strongly disagreed” with Biden’s framing. Just 38% of respondents agreed with the president’s “voter suppression” rhetoric.
A plurality of voters, 48%, believe Biden should formally apologize to the state. This sentiment is shared by an overwhelming majority of Republican voters at 75% and a plurality of independents with 47%, according to Breitbart News.
38% of black likely voters also believe that Biden should formally apologize to the state.
Biden, as well as Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, have repeatedly referred to Republican-led election integrity efforts as “Jim Crow 2.0,” insinuating that such efforts make it more difficult for African Americans to vote.
Despite the rhetoric and false claims, Georgia’s recent primary election cycle garnered record turnout from black voters.
Coming Up Today:@JoeBiden daily presidential job approval % is – down.
Election Integrity: Does Georgia Deserve Apologies?
Nearly half of voters believe Biden & Major League Baseball should apologize to Georgia after last year’s controversy over the state’s new election law. https://t.co/e0yDg8GLUe
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) June 13, 2022
Among the changes made to Georgia’s election system was the implementation of mandatory voter I.D.
According to another Rasmussen Reports survey conducted this past March, mandatory voter I.D. now has the support of a majority of voters and growing. Overall, a whopping 74% of likely voters support mandatory voter I.D., breaking down to 90% in favor among Republicans and 59% among Democrats.
The bill also dictated that absentee ballots be sent out 29 days before election day, down from 49. It also barred local governments, as well as the state government, from sending out unsolicited absentee ballot applications. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had applications sent out to all active registered voters for the June 2020 primary, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as his rationale.
In addition, the bill dubbed “Jim Crow 2.0” by leftist critics actually added an additional early voting day to general elections and primaries.