Alleging “possible voter intimidation tactics,” the NAACP in Georgia filed complaints with the secretary of state that say some early votes meant for Democrat Stacey Abrams are registering for Republican Brian Kemp.
The Georgia NAACP says it has received complaints from several voters on “touch screen irregularities” when they attempt to vote for Abrams for governor. The group says that the machines chose Kemp, who is secretary of state. In some cases, the machines showed ballots being cast before any person actually voted, the NAACP alleges.
“The essence of our democracy is at stake,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement. “Eye witnesses” reported the irregularities in four counties — Bartow, Dodge, Cobb and Henry — to their office, the NAACP said.
In filing the complaints, the group is seeking to ensure “the integrity of our vote is not compromised.”
Abrams would be the first African-American female governor if she wins her race against Kemp. The two candidates clashed during a debate Tuesday night over voting rights — the biggest fault line in the race has been the suspension of 53,000 voter registrations, 70 percent of which were for black Georgians.
And last week, dozens of black senior citizens in Louisville, Georgia, were ordered off a bus bound for the polls after county officials said the event constituted prohibited “political activity.” Activists called it an “intimidation tactic” in a razor-thin race for governor that’s become engulfed in a fight over voting rights.
In Tuesday night’s debate, Kemp deflected accusations of voter suppression by blaming applicants for making errors and not using online forms to register. “If they had used the online system, they would not have these problems,” he said. “They didn’t fill out the form correctly. The last four digits of Social Security were wrong. Blame President Obama. There are 7 million people who have correctly filled out the form.”
Abrams has claimed Kemp is deliberately trying to suppress the votes of black Georgians. Kemp claimed that voter registration has never been higher in Georgia because of the work he has done.
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