Between 1854 and 1861 Kansas was torn apart over the issue of slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 established that the determination of whether a territory would allow slavery would be left to the settler’s in the territory rather than to legislators in Washington. The result was that proponents both for and against slavery rushed to settle in Kansas so they could determine the fate of slavery in the territory. Individuals from neighboring states entered Kansas and fraudulently claimed to be residents so they could vote and affect the outcome.
In a prelude to the Civil War, open warfare broke out between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces. Among the participants were John Brown and his sons. In the end, over 200 individuals were killed in battles between the two groups. This period of time became referred to as “Bleeding Kansas”.
One of the most infamous incidents associated with the slavery issue in Kansas occurred on the floor of the United States Senate itself. Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner was nearly beaten to death by South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks. Sumner had ridiculed Brook’s cousin, South Carolina Senator Andrew Butler, on the Senate floor over Butler’s advocacy of slavery in Kansas. Brooks nearly killed Sumner by beating him with a heavy cane. Sumner was unable to return to the Senate for three years as a result of the attack. He remained debilitated from the attack for the rest of his life.
Kansas was important because once it was admitted to the union as a state, its two Senators would determine control of the United States Senate and the future course of slavery in the nation. The two new Senators would effect the balance of power in the United States Senate, a body that was bitterly divided over the future of slavery. Do we face a similar situation in Georgia today?
There will be runoff elections in Georgia in early January to determine the state’s two United States Senators, since no candidate in either of the Georgia senatorial elections won a majority. Democrat Jon Ossoff will be pitted against Republican incumbent David Perdue, and Democrat Raphael Warnock will face incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed to fill out the remainder of the term of Johnny Isakson who retired for health reasons.
Currently the Republicans hold 50 seats in the United States Senate and the Democrats hold 48. If both parties hold 50 seats, the Democrats would control the Senate as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would cast the tiebreaking vote. The future of Joe Biden’s Presidency rests on the special senate elections in Georgia this January.
Importantly, there are no length of residency requirements in Georgia to be able vote. You can register to vote in Georgia on the day you move to the state. Georgia does have one of the strictest registration deadlines to vote in an election; 29 days. The runoff elections will be held on January 5, so the deadline to register and vote in the special election is December 8. Registering requires having a place of residency (an address) in Georgia and a valid ID. A valid ID can be obtained by presenting an out of state driver’s license and replacing it with one from Georgia.
In a state where over five million votes were cast, Joe Biden won by about 10,000 votes. Could there be a rush of activists from both parties to “move” to Georgia to vote in the special elections? Will some party members actively work to recruit individuals to temporarily take up residence in Georgia to vote in the election? Could violence break out as competing groups of activists work to register individuals who have recently moved to Georgia?
These are trying times. The country remains bitterly divided. Control of the United States Senate will determine the future of our country. It seems all too reminiscent of Bleeding Kansas.
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