Sen. Lindsey Graham says preventing voters from receiving food or water while they wait in line to cast ballots doesn't make 'a whole lot of sense'

A new voting law signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in Georgia last week prevents volunteers from handing out food or drinks to voters waiting in line.

• Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said a new voting restriction in Georgia didn't make "sense."
• The restriction prevents volunteers from handing out food or drinks to people waiting to vote.
• "Well, all I can say is that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me," Graham said on Fox News.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

Sen. Lindsey Graham said at least one part of the new Republican-backed law in Georgia that places heavy restrictions on voting didn't make "sense."

A provision of a new law signed last week by Gov. Brian Kemp puts stricter requirements on providing identification for voters casting absentee ballots, limits the number of drop boxes for ballots, gives state officials more power over how elections are run, and bars volunteers from giving food and water to people waiting in line to vote.

In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," the anchor Chris Wallace asked Graham: "Senator, why on earth, if Americans are willing to wait for hours to vote, would you make it a crime for people to come and give them a bottle of water?"

"Well, all I can say is that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me," the South Carolina Republican responded. "I agree with you there."

-FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) March 28, 2021

Section 33 of SB202 says: "No person shall solicit votes in any manner or by any means or method, nor shall any person distribute or display any campaign material, nor shall any person give, offer to give, or participate in the giving of any money or gifts, including, but not limited to, food and drink, to an elector, nor shall any person solicit signatures for any petition, nor shall any person, other than election officials discharging their duties, establish or set up any tables or booths on any day in which ballots are being cast."

The law was met with criticism from Democrats including President Joe Biden, who referred to the new voting law as "Jim Crow in the 21st Century."

In 2020, Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia since 1991. Democrats in the state saw another major victory when they won Georgia's two US Senate runoff elections in January.

When asked about Republican voting restrictions and shown a clip of Biden calling those efforts "sick," and "un-American," Graham said Biden used the "race card."

"You know what's sick is for the president of the United States to play the race card, continuously, in such a hypocritical way," Graham said.

He added: "Every time a Republican does anything we're a racist. If you're a white conservative, you're a racist. If you're a Black Republican, you're either a prop or Uncle Tom. They use the racism card to advance a liberal agenda, and we're tired of it."