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Federal Judge Extends Voter Deadline For Chatham County

Associated Press, Johnny Kauffman | WABE

October 14th, 2016

A federal judge has ordered an extension of the voter registration deadline for one county in coastal Georgia after Hurricane Matthew disrupted the final sign-up days for new voters.

U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. ruled Friday that voters in Savannah and surrounding Chatham County must be allowed to register through next Tuesday. Moore said in the ruling that granting the extension was “the right thing to do.”

Moore said he acknowledges the administrative difficultly the extension poses for the state, but it pales “in comparison to the physical, emotional and financial strain Chatham County residents faced in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. Extending a small degree of common courtesy by allowing impacted individuals a few extra days to register to vote seems like a rather small consolation on behalf of their government.”

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sought an emergency extension after hurricane evacuations caused the Chatham County elections board to close its offices for a six-day period that included Tuesday, the statewide deadline to register.

After the ruling, Candice Broce, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office said that they “have sent the order to Chatham County officials with instructions to comply.”

Gov. Nathan Deal declined to give new voters more time to sign up. Attorneys for the state argued election officials are focused on early voting, which starts Monday, and would be unfairly burdened by registering additional voters.

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Candice Broce, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office“We have sent the order to Chatham County officials with instructions to comply.”