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NAACP and ACLU of Georgia Release Statements Regarding 'Voter Suppression'

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia (ACLU) announced today that they are closely monitoring possible voter suppression in Georgia.

The announcements come soon after an Associated Press report which showed that Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has canceled 1.4 million voter registrations since 2012. The NAACP and ACLU say that 53,000 voter registration applications still have not been approved by Kemp’s office.

“It’s a stain on our system of democracy when less than a month before an election which could produce the first African-American female governor in our nation’s history, we are seeing this type of voter suppression scheme attempted by a state official whose candidacy for the governorship produces an irremediable conflict of interest,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson says.

The cause of the 53,000 pending applications, according to the ACLU, is the state’s Exact Match law. This law states that voter registration applications must directly match a driver’s license, state ID cards or Social Security information.

However, according to the ACLU, there is a solution for citizens who want to vote but still have pending applications.

“The Secretary of State’s Office has confirmed that if your voter registration application is deemed ‘pending’ because of the exact match law, you can still cast a regular ballot IF you provide photo identification at the polls which substantially reflects the name you used on your voter registration form,” Sean J. Young, Legal Director of the ACLU of Georgia says.

Kemp is also the Republican gubernatorial candidate for Georgia.

The deadline to register to vote in the November 6 election was Tuesday, Oct. 9.