A group of Republicans is working to spread Sunday voting hours throughout Georgia, an effort that copies “Souls to the Polls” events put on by Black churches.
The new program will ask rural county governments to offer Sunday voting and coordinate group voting after services.
“This really is about giving everyone access,” said state Rep. Matt Dubnik, a Republican from Gainesville. “We have folks out there working five, six, seven days a week that have families, that have other obligations” during weekday voting hours.
The rural voting drive, called “Patriotic Souls to the Polls,” was launched Tuesday at the Georgia Capitol by Look Ahead America, a conservative voter mobilization group; Turning Point Faith, a conservative Christian organization; and three Republican state representatives.
Georgia’s voting law, Senate Bill 202, kept Sundays as optional voting days during three weeks of early voting. County election offices can decide whether to open voting locations on as many as two Sundays.
“For too long, rural Christians have been disenfranchised in this state because progressive urban counties have had the opportunity to vote on Sunday and engage in ‘Souls to the Polls’ operations,” said Matt Braynard, executive director for Look Ahead America.
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