A controversial new election law in the US state of Georgia has led to heated disagreement between Democrats and Republicans over its impact on voting. Georgia voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 election, the first time the state had chosen a Democratic presidential candidate in more than 25 years. Democrats say the new law aims to restrict voting in future elections, but Republicans who control the state’s government say it expands access and increases election security. We’ve looked at some of the main claims. President Biden has said: “What I’m worried about is how un-American this whole initiative is. It’s sick. Deciding that you’re going to end voting at five o’clock when working people are just getting off work.” But it’s not the case that voting has to finish at 5pm.  The law allows counties to set voting hours anywhere between 7am and 7pm, as was the case previously. The new law does lay out the hours that are required as a minimum on election day, saying “voting shall be conducted beginning at 9:00 A.M. and ending at 5:00 P.M.”, as opposed to “during normal business hours” stated in the old law.(BBC)…[+]