U.S. House Panel Seeks Records On Georgia Election ‘Problems’

A U.S. House committee is seeking a trove of information from Georgia’s governor and secretary of state as it investigates reports of voter registration problems and other issues reported during the state’s 2018 elections.

In letters dated Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform tells Georgia’s new Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that it’s “investigating recent reports of serious problems with voter registration, voter access and other matters affecting the ability of people in Georgia to exercise their right to vote.”

The letters ask both men for extensive information concerning those allegations. The committee is now Democrat-controlled. Kemp and Raffensperger are Republicans.

Kemp served as the state’s chief election officer while he ran for governor. Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams has alleged he mismanaged the election, an allegation that Kemp vehemently denies.

A nonprofit group founded by Abrams last week released over 200 sworn statements gathered as part of an ongoing legal challenge to the way the state’s elections are run.

They included statements from Georgia voters who experienced long lines, last-minute polling place changes, missing or incorrect voter registration records and malfunctioning machines, among other issues.

The letters, signed by Democratic U.S. Reps. Elijah Cummings and Jamie Raskin, both from Maryland, also ask for any documents related to Kemp’s announcement just ahead of the election that the Democratic Party of Georgia was being investigated in an alleged hacking attempt on the state elections system. He offered no evidence to support that concern.

Kemp spokeswoman Candice Broce did not reply to a text message, call and an email.

Reffensperger said in a statement that he “looks forward to an open dialogue and a thorough process.”