Barry Fleming

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Barry Fleming
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 121st district
Assumed office
January 14, 2013
Preceded byHenry Howard
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 117th district
In office
January 10, 2005 – January 12, 2009
Preceded byLarry O'Neal
Succeeded byLee Anderson
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 79th district
In office
January 13, 2003 – January 10, 2005
Preceded byTom Rice
Succeeded byFran Millar
Personal details
Born (1965-05-20) May 20, 1965 (age 56)
Harlem, Georgia
Political partyRepublican

Barry Fleming (born May 20, 1965) is an American politician who has served in the Georgia House of Representatives from the 121st district since 2013. He previously served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009.[1][2]

In 2021, he introduced an election reform bill that would restrict voting access.[3][4] 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, shift back the deadline to request an absentee ballot, and limit early voting hours.[3] Most controversially, it would restrict early voting on Sundays, when Black churches traditionally run "Souls to the Polls" get-out-the-vote efforts;[5][6] according to The Economist, Black voter turnout is 10 percentage points higher on Sundays.[7]

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".[8] 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.[8]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Representative Barry Fleming". House.ga.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  2. ^ "Special-election winner Broun fighting from behind vs. Fleming". TheHill. 2007-10-31. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  3. ^ a b Nadler, Ben; Yoganathan, Anila (1 March 2021). "Georgia House passes GOP bill rolling back voting access". Associated Press.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Simms, Claire (1 March 2021). "Georgia House approves election reform legislation". Fox 5.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Corasaniti, Nick; Rutenberg, Jim (2021-03-06). "In Georgia, Republicans Take Aim at Role of Black Churches in Elections". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  6. ^ Scott, Eugene (24 February 2021). "New Georgia legislation would curb 'souls to the polls'". The Washington Post.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "America's battle over election laws". The Economist. 13 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ a b "Hancock County commissioners ask attorney behind GOP-led election bill to resign". WMAZ. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
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