VP Kamala Harris visits Atlanta Tuesday to discuss voting rights
ATLANTA - Vice President Kamala Harris visited Atlanta Tuesday to discuss voting rights, marking her 10th trip to the area since she was sworn into office.
Harris will flew in late Tuesday morning to participate in a roundtable discussion with community leaders focused on the fight for voting rights and "other fundamental freedoms."
"Georgia is ground zero on the issue of the right to vote," Vice President Kamala Harris declared.
She said America has a lot of work to do to ensure the right to vote is protected. She pointed to more than 300 anti-voting laws passed across the country in recent years.
"We have seen attacks on election workers. Before I came into this room, I met with election workers who shared stories that are so troubling," Harris said.
Fulton County election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss are two examples. The two were catapulted into the national spotlight and forced into hiding, following intense intimidation they alleged began after Rudy Giuliani tweeted a video of her counting votes during the 2020 presidential election.
The Vice President centered Tuesday's discussion on gerrymandering districts, mass challenges by extremist groups and the attacks on freedoms.
"The attacks are clear, there is a full-on intent to attack freedoms and rights in our country," she said.
The conversation was held at The Gathering Spot on Northyards Boulevard NW near The Georgia World Congress Center.
She departed the city shortly before 4 p.m.
This isn't the first time the vice president has addressed the issue in the Peach State.
Last September, she blasted the state's relatively new voting law while speaking to students at Morehouse College.
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Vice President Kamala Harris attends HBCU football championship in Atlanta
In a show of school spirit and support, Vice President Kamala Harris was captured on camera cheering for Howard University at the Cricket Celebration Bowl, the HBCU football championship held at the Mercedes-Benz on Saturday.
In December, Harris, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, and Sen. Raphael Warnock cheered on her alma mater, Howard University, when they played in Atlanta's Celebration Bowl.
Following the intense match, Harris and her companions visited the popular restaurant Busy Bee Cafe for a post-game meal before heading back to the nation's capital.
With Georgia considered a pivotal swing state in the 2024 election, it's likely she could be coming back to the state fairly often.
She's expected to play a large role in efforts to drum up support among African-American and young voters for Joe Biden's campaign.
Tuesday's group is expected to reconvene in Washington D.C. in February for another listening session.