Faith leaders and other local Georgia politicians gathered at the state Capitol Tuesday to protest against the state’s recently-passed voting law.

Leaders, including Rev. Dr. Bernice King, CEO, The King Center; Dr. Jamal Bryant, Senior Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church; State Senator (Rev.) and Chair Georgia Black Caucus Tanya Anderson; State Representative (Rev.) Karen Bennett; State Representative Billy Mitchell and others held a mass prayer to promote “voting rights for all.”

“Since the 2020 election, our country has seen Republican-led state legislatures around the country ignore the rule of law, democracy, and their own constituents all to activate a predetermined plan to take voting rights and opportunity away from black and brown people, said Reverend Timothy McDonald, III. “We recognize that the onslaught of Republican legislation, seen in recent months, began in Georgia. It is our collective responsibility to join together and provide prayer and leadership so other States can learn and begin organizing to defeat this desperate campaign by the Trump-Republican party.”

The group is also calling for the passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Right Act.

Under the new law, a photo ID is required in order to vote absentee by mail. The law also makes it a misdemeanor to hand out food or water to voters in line within 150 feet of a polling place or within 25 feet of any voter at a polling site.

State Democrats call the law voter suppression while Republicans say the new law will restore voting integrity.

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