Two weeks away from the first major of the season, a civil rights group is calling for the Masters Tournament to be pulled from Augusta National.
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is calling for the tournament to be moved out of Georgia, and also calling for Tour players to boycott Georgia events.
This comes as a reaction to a recent voter bill passed in the state.
“Georgia’s new law restricting voting access is designed to turn back the clock on civil rights, and return Black and poor and already disenfranchised voters in Georgia to second class citizens. This is an unacceptable attack on our democracy and companies that operate in Georgia must speak out against this restrictive law,” said NBJC executive director David Johns said in a statement.
Prior to last November’s Masters Tournament, Augusta National announced that it will establish scholarships in the name of Lee Elder, the first African American to play in The Masters. Elder will also be an honorary starter.
Johns added, “The PGA Tour and Masters Tournament have both made commitments to help diversify golf and address racial inequities in this country — and we expect them to not only speak out against Georgia’s new racist voter suppression law — but to also take action.”
Augusta National or the PGA Tour have publicly commented on the request or the bill.
The Bill
According to the 96-page bill, a requirement of a photo ID to vote absentee by mail would be needed.
The bill also cuts down on the time period voters have to request an absentee ballot, and puts limits on where ballot drop boxes can be placed and when they can be accessed.