Bill Cassidy in 2022 FactCheck

On Government Reform: FactCheck: Yes, hours-long wait to vote, but now fixed

[Cassidy said on CNN about voting in the 2020 Georgia election], "when [my opponent] says a 90-year-old woman has to stand in line for four hours, in Georgia, she doesn't. I think, in Delaware, she might have to, or New York." Is that true, that voters had to wait for hours? The AJC checked:

Georgia is replacing a laggy statewide voter registration system that caused colossal lines during early voting in the 2020 election. The new technology could prevent similar waits in this year's races for governor and the U.S. Senate. Wait times exceeded eight hours at the start of early voting before election officials added capacity to the system so it could handle the load. Election Day went more smoothly, with wait times averaging less than three minutes.

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Fact-Check: 2022 GA legislation Jan 16, 2022

On Government Reform: FactCheck: Yes, giving water to voters is criminalized

[Cassidy said on CNN about the Georgia anti-electioneering law], "They're not criminalizing giving people water. They're just saying you can't walk up to them just before they walk in, give them water and tell them who to vote for." Is that true?

"No person shall solicit votes in any manner or by any means or method, nor shall any person distribute or display any campaign material, nor shall any person give, offer to give, or participate in the giving of any money or gifts, including, but not limited to, food and drink, to an elector," the new law states. The law applies within 150 feet of a polling place or within 25 feet of any voter at a polling place. Violators are guilty of a misdemeanor.

OnTheIssues conclusion: Giving voters water IS criminalized with a misdemeanor penalty. Cassidy is also wrong that providing water is illegal only if they "tell them who to vote for"--that's called "electioneering." The law says that electioneering is illegal AND giving voters water is illegal.

Source: CNN/OnTheIssues Fact-Check: 2022 GA legislation Jan 16, 2022

The above quotations are from Fact-checking on 2022 gubernatorial and Senate campaigns. Click here for other excerpts from Fact-checking on 2022 gubernatorial and Senate campaigns. Click here for other excerpts by Bill Cassidy. Click here for a profile of Bill Cassidy.
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org! Click for details -- or send donations to: 1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140 E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org (We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Dec 24, 2023