HBO star gets letter from Ga. secretary of state over skit
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Comedian Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” skit about being arrested after handing a bottle of water to a supposedly heat-exhausted Georgia voter while waiting in line prompted a handwritten letter from the state’s No. 1 elections official.
After years of long voting lines on Election Day, Georgia implemented nationally recognized systems for early and absentee voting, which resulted in historically high turnouts over the past several elections.
At the same time, the state has come under national ridicule for laws prohibiting bottles of water from being distributed to voters outside polling places.
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The laws, ers say, are designed to prevent voters from being influenced by individuals campaigning on behalf of certain candidates or issues just before casting their ballot.
That didn’t stop the popular HBO comedy from poking fun at the Peach State in a recent episode:
In subsequent episodes, David was hailed by twice-unsuccessful Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and others after his arrest and Donald Trump-like mugshot.
Now comes this letter from Georgia’s chief elections officer.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s wrote:
“Mr. Larry David:
“As the chief elections officer for the State of Georgia, we’d like to congratulate you on becoming the first, and to our knowledge, only person arrested for distributing water bottles to voters within 150 feet of a polling station. We apologize if you didn’t receive celebrity treatment at the local jail. I’m afraid they’ve gotten used to bigger stars. It’s the TMZ of mugshots.
“Given that Democrats have described the limited ban on food and water in voting lines as a threat to public health, we do hope that Leon’s aunt avoided a tragic death, even though that would allow you to keep those sporty glasses. Moving forward, we would encourage her to avoid long lines by employing the well known ‘chat and cut,’ whereby one engages an acquaintance in fake conversation in order to that person in line.
“Given the obvious concern you have about access to voting in Georgia, you’ll be glad to hear that waiting times for all voters, including Leon’s aunt, in the last two major elections were under two minutes, even as we experienced record turnout.
“Whether wanted or unwanted, I know you’ve received a lot of attention related to your actions in a Georgia election. Believe me, I understand. And while my powers as secretary of state to perform miracles are often overstated, I’m afraid I lack the authority to grant a pardon - even if you call me to ask for one.
“Yours truly,
“Brad Raffensperger”
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