Rep. Madeleine Dean Blasts Georgia's New Voting Law as a 'Shameful' Move by a 'Shrinking' GOP

Pennsylvania Representative Madeleine Dean criticized the new election law passed in Georgia on Thursday, and blasted the Republicans who passed the legislation.

Speaking to MSNBC on Saturday, the congresswoman recalled working and marching with the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis and said that he was disappointed that more work still had to be done.

"I served with John Lewis. I walked to the Edmund Pettus Bridge with John Lewis, and he said—one of his last things he said to our caucus—on June 4 of last year was 'I thought we were further down the road to justice,' and he was sad that we aren't," she said.

The Pennsylvania congresswoman continued by critiquing the law and the politicians who signed it into effect.

"These are shameful moves by a Republican party that is shrinking and desperate to claim power, they would disenfranchise primarily people of color or people who are poor or anybody else who gets in the way of their attempt at power," Dean said.

Newsweek reached out to Dean's office for comment.

The new Georgia voting law passed has received praise from Republicans for promoting fair and secure elections. But Democrats have been critical of the bill, calling it voter suppression.

The law has state officials overseeing local election boards. It also includes limiting drop boxes for ballots and new voter ID requirements for absentee ballots. It also makes it a crime to bring food and water to people standing in lines to vote, although 76 percent of voters don't think it should be a crime, as previously reported.

Many other Democrats, including Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, have criticized the law. Warnock called the law "a thinly-veiled attempt to suppress the vote" in a tweet.

"It's Jim Crow in new clothes. We will not go back. And Congress must act to protect the sacred right to vote," he wrote.

The law has led to many local activists calling on Georgia-based companies to speak out against the law and show support for other voter legislation, such as the Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For The People Act.

Some have also called for major sporting events that are scheduled to be held in Georgia to move to different locations. Activists have called on the PGA to move the Masters Tournament from Augusta National Golf Club, where it's regularly held, in April. The executive director of the MLB Players Association also said he looked forward to discussing the possibility of moving the All-Star Game, which is scheduled for July.