Georgia governor's view on voting bill 'not based in fact' - White House

[April 02, 2021]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday criticized Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's contention that Georgia's new voting rights law does not limit voter access.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp speaks at the GA GOP election night event for the run-off election for Georgia’s two Senate seats, featuring incumbent Republican U.S. Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., January 5, 2021. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

White House press secretary Jen Psaki, in her daily news briefing, said the legislation "limits voting access and makes it more difficult for people to engage in voting in Georgia."

The Republican-backed Georgia law strengthened identification requirements for absentee ballots, shortened early voting periods for runoffs and made it a misdemeanor for members of the public to offer food and water to voters waiting in line.

Kemp, a Republican, has said the law is "another step to making our elections fair and secure."

"I think that is not based in fact, what the governor of Georgia has said," Psaki said. "If you’re making it harder to vote, no we don't support that."

(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

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