Barry Fleming (born May 20, 1965) is an American politician who has served in the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

from the 121st district since 2013. He previously served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009. In 2021, he introduced an election reform bill that would restrict voting access. Among its many provisions, it would restrict where ballot drop boxes can be located and when they can be accessed, require photo identification for

absentee voting An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated. Methods include voting at a different location, postal voting, proxy voting and online votin ...

, shift back the deadline to request an absentee ballot, and limit

early voting Early voting, also called advance polling or pre-poll voting, is a convenience voting process by which voters in a public election can vote before a scheduled election day. Early voting can take place remotely, such as via postal voting, or in ...

hours. Most controversially, it would restrict early voting on Sundays, when

Black church The black church (sometimes termed Black Christianity or African American Christianity) is the faith and body of Christian congregations and denominations in the United States that minister predominantly to African Americans, as well as their ...

es traditionally run "Souls to the Polls" get-out-the-vote efforts; according to ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'', Black voter turnout is 10 percentage points higher on Sundays. On March 10, 2021, Hancock County commissioners voted 4-0 to ask for Fleming’s resignation as the county's attorney because of his sponsorship of House Bill 531, which critics call a "voter suppression bill". The 2019 Census shows that "Hancock County's population is around 71% African-American" and 2020 election results showed Joe Biden won Hancock County with 71.7% of the vote versus 27.8% for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Barry 1965 births 21st-century American politicians Living people Republican Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives People from Columbia County, Georgia

See also

References