Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger wrote to Larry David after an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" ridiculed local voting law that prevents giving water to people standing in line at polling places.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution submitted an open records request to obtain a copy of the letter Raffensperger sent to David after the episode aired on HBO in February.
In it, the star gives a bottle of water to a voter waiting outside a polling place. He joked that it made him a “voter waterer" — but he inadvertently violated a Georgia ban on giving food or water to anyone waiting to vote.
The show's plot involves David in Atlanta, where he is searching for his pal Leon's aunt, who he finds waiting outside in a long line to cast her ballot. Overheated by the southern temperatures, David gives her a bottle of water.
“Sir, put your hands in the air,” an officer then says to David. “You’re under arrest for violation of the Election Integrity Act. It is illegal for anyone in the state of Georgia to provide food or water to voters in line in the polls.”
“What?” exclaims David as cops lead him away. “That’s barbaric! What kind of law? Are you serious?”
"He emerges a hero, drawing praise from [former Georgia congresswoman] Stacey Abrams and the actress Sienna Miller over the next few episodes," AJC reported.
Now, Republican Raffensperger is responding to David in a letter claiming the comedian is the first "and to our knowledge, only person" arrested for violating the 2021 law. He then cracked a joke about the law and the character being jailed.
"We apologize if you didn't receive celebrity treatment at the local jail," quipped Raffensperger. "I'm afraid they've gotten used to bigger stars. It's the TMZ of mugshots."
While Raffensperger may find the coverage to be a joke, the reality is that Republicans who ushered in the law have received a huge backlash about the law over several months which has resulted in legal challenges. The GOP lawmakers claimed that the ban on food and water was really about protecting voters from "outside influence."
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In Sept 2023, federal judge, J.P. Boulee struck down the restrictions on distributing food or water to people within 25 feet of voters standing in line. He upheld the 150-foot zone outside of polling places, however, where food and drinks can't be given out.
“Line relief activities” are First Amendment-protected “expressive conduct,” the judge said in the ruling, according to Atlanta Civic Circle.
After the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode aired, Jordan Fuchs, the deputy secretary of state in Georgia, said in a statement: “While I am personally a big Larry David fan, the show is meant to entertain, not reflect reality here in Georgia. SB 202 successfully bans the activists’ new and creative tactics to campaign at a polling place and ensures that Fulton County finally takes measures to shorten line times.”
“We were always going to Atlanta because of that barbaric law that you can’t give anybody water or food when they’re in line for voting,” executive producer Jeff Schaffer said, according to The New York Times. “When we were talking about stories, Larry said: ‘This law is insane. I think it’d be funny if I got arrested for that.’”
Raffensperger goes on to make a joke that he is empathetic to getting a lot of "wanted or unwanted" attention in an election, a reference to his refusal to change the vote count for Donald Trump in 2020.
"Given the obvious concern you have about access to voting in Georgia, you'll be glad to hear that waiting times for all voters, including Leon's aunt, in the last two major elections were under two minutes, even as we experienced record turnout," Raffensperger's letter continues.
