In response to allegations of voter suppression by gubernatorial candidate and Secretary of State Brian Kemp, the NAACP Georgia State Conference filed a lawsuit Thursday to protect the vote of 53,000 voters in Georgia.
According to reports from the Associated Press, Kemp’s office has refused to process over 53,000 voting registration applications. Analysis by the AP shows that list is predominantly black.
Georgians can check their registration status and find their polling place at Georgia’s My Voter Page.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson called it 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 Georgia State President Phyllis Blake said that “it’s about protecting our democracy, the integrity of the vote and the political power of the Black Community.”
Importantly, voters deemed “pending” by the exact match law are still able to vote at the polls to cast a ballot if they present the notification letter.
Recently naturalized citizens may be required to verify proof of citizenship.
The AP also reported that Kemp has “cancelled over 1.4 million voter registrations since 2012. Nearly 670,000 registrations were cancelled in 2017 alone.”