Long lines, last-minute polling place changes, missing or incorrect voter registration records and malfunctioning machines are among the problems Georgians faced during last year’s midterm election, according to sworn statements gathered as part of a challenge to the way the state’s elections are run.
More than 200 declarations made public Wednesday are meant to bolster a lawsuit filed by a group founded by former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who helped focus national attention on Georgia’s voting system during her campaign. She accused her Republican opponent, then-Secretary of State Brian Kemp, of using his post as the state’s top elections official to suppress minority votes. Kemp, now governor, has vehemently denied the allegations.
The lawsuit says “gross mismanagement” of the election deprived citizens of their right to vote. Among other things, the lawsuit asks that Georgia be required to secure approval from a federal judge before changing voting rules.
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