Georgia Set To Remain A Battleground For Voting Rights Ahead Of 2020

Georgia voters at an Atlanta high school on Nov. 6, 2018. Voting issues became a central issue in the hotly contested governor’s race between Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams.

Jessica McGowan / Getty Images

When Democrat Stacey Abrams ended her bid last week to become governor of Georgia and the first black woman ever elected governor of any state, she issued a stinging indictment of Georgia’s voting system, a system overseen by her Republican opponent Brian Kemp, who was the state’s top election official during the 2018 midterms.

“Democracy failed Georgia,” said Abrams in a speech acknowledging Kemp would be the state’s next governor.

“Make no mistake, the former secretary of state was deliberate and intentional in his actions,” Abrams said. “I know that eight years of systemic disenfranchisement, disinvestment and incompetence had its desired effect on the electoral process in Georgia.”