Georgia’s new voting reform law, SB 202, has sparked major controversy over the past few weeks. The left criticizes it as a new form of voter suppression that targets minority voters, while the right claims the bill is a much-needed reform that fixes the issues that contributed to a controversial 2020 election.

President Biden criticizes SB 202 as “Jim Crow in the 21st Century.” He says that the provisions of the bill “effectively deny the right to vote to countless voters.”

So what exactly is in this bill that is sparking so much controversy?

SB 202 mandates that voters must provide a driver’s license or free state ID card number to request and submit an absentee ballot. This makes Georgia one of four states to require an ID to submit an absentee ballot. Georgia voters are already required to present some form of identification to vote in person.

This bill sets the deadline for Georgia voters to request absentee ballots at least 11 days ahead of the election. Before, Georgia voters could request ballots up until the Friday before Election Day. For context, Georgia joins 10 other states that set the application deadline more than seven days before the election. Thirteen states set the deadline at seven days before an election, and 22 states allow voters to apply for ballots within seven days before an election.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Georgia created emergency rules that allowed drop boxes for the first time. These rules placed no limits on the number of boxes but restricted them to government property and required 24-hour video surveillance. SB 202 limits the number of drop boxes and authorizes them only inside early voting sites and are made available only during regular voting hours.

Another change of SB 202 applied to the early voting periods. The law gives Georgia a minimum of 17 days for early voting with an additional two Sundays for counties that opt in. This creates a maximum total of 19 days for early voting. The average state’s voting period is 19 days.

SB 202 prohibits the distribution of food and drink to voters waiting in line. There is a provision for poll workers to create self-serve water stations, but it is not required. Many believe this is harmful to precincts with historically long waiting times. Others see it as a way to reduce influence on voters.

Even corporations are becoming outspoken critics of the bill. Atlanta-headquartered Delta Airlines has condemned SB 202. CEO Ed Bastian described the reform as “unacceptable” and not aligned with “Delta’s values.” Ironically, one cannot fly on a Delta flight without a valid ID.

In response to this condemnation, Georgia Republicans passed a bill stripping Delta of a jet fuel tax break worth tens of millions. Delta is the state’s largest private employer, with 33,000 employees.

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey released a statement on the bill,

The sports world has joined in protest of SB 202. Recently, Major League Baseball has chosen to move the 2021 All-Star game from Atlanta to Denver. This move comes at a cost, with some estimates at a loss of $100 million in revenue to this city.

Georgia activist Stacey Abrams commends Major League Baseball for taking a stance but is worried that the move economically hurts the community: “As I have stated, I respect boycotts, although I don’t want to see Georgia families hurt by lost events and jobs. Georgians targeted by voter suppression will be hurt as opportunities go to other states.”

After a controversial 2020 election, SB 202 is just the beginning of voters on either side of the aisle who are looking to reform the American election process. Many on the left believe that we have a long way to go to make the democratic process available to everyone, while many of the right believe there are major holes in the voting process. Georgia’s voting reform bill will undoubtedly just be the beginning of a nationwide debate of how people want America’s democratic process to work going forward.