“Complaints of Voter Suppression Loom Over Georgia Governor’s Race”

NYT:

The office of Brian Kemp, Georgia’s secretary of state and the Republican nominee for governor in November’s election, has stalled more than 53,000 voter applications, according to a recent report from The Associated Press. The list includes a disproportionately high number of black voters, the report said, which is stirring concern among nonpartisan voting rights advocates and supporters of Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate, who is vying to be the first black woman in the country to be elected governor….

Mr. Kemp’s secretary of state office has denied the accusations of intentional voter suppression, and said the reason for the backlog was shoddy voter registration work by liberal groups.

In a fund-raising email late Wednesday night, Mr. Kemp said to supporters that all 53,000 Georgians now on the pending voting lists will still be able to vote on Election Day, if they meet all the state’s other identification requirements. He tried to frame the backlash to The Associated Press report as partisan bickering….

But Democrats say that even if the voters on the list turn out to be eligible to vote, the “pending” status could lead to longer lines and confusion at polling places and might discourage some voters from casting their ballots.

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