GBI Investigating Alleged Voter Registration Hacking Attempt

ATLANTA, GA — A unit of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has now launched an investigation into allegations made by the office of Secretary of State Brian Kemp that the Democratic Party of Georgia tried to hack into the state's voter registration system.

GBI spokesperson Nelly Miles said the agency was asked by Kemp to investigate allegations of "computer crimes related to the Secretary of State's website."

"A criminal investigation will be conducted by the GBI's Georgia Cyber Crime Center," she said.

Kemp, a Republican, is in a heated battle to become Georgia's next governor with Democrat Stacey Abrams. News of the alleged hacking attempt was announced by the Secretary of State's office two days before the Tuesday, Nov. 6 general election. Kemp's office said it launched an investigation into the Democratic Party of Georgia's "failed attempt to hack the state's voter registration system," according to a statement on the agency's website.

The SOS said it opened its investigation on the evening of Saturday, Nov. 3, and notified the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI about the alleged attempt. Kemp's office said it received information from its legal team about "failed efforts to breach the online voter registration system and My Voter Page." The office said it's working with private sector vendors and investigators to review logs, and has formally asked the FBI to investigate "these possible cyber crimes."

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The Democrats blasted the announcement and the allegations, asserting that Kemp "has a long and well documented history of failing to protect the security" of the state's elections system and in 2016, was the only secretary of state who refused assistance from the Department of Homeland Security, leaving voters vulnerable to "foreign cyber attacks."

"On two occasions, Kemp's office leaked personal information including the Social Security numbers of six million Georgians, forcing Georgia taxpayers to foot the bill for credit monitoring because Brian Kemp's office made Georgians vulnerable to identity theft,"DeHart charges.

DeHart added Georgians of all political backgrounds are concerned about elections and personal information security. The Democratic Party shares those concerns, but "we did not create, discover, or attempt to take advantage of the deeply vulnerable system used by the Secretary of State's office," DeHart said.

Both Kemp and Abrams have had political and entertainment heavyweights travel to the Peach State to help stump for votes. Abrams received a visit from former President Barack Obama as well as media mogul Oprah Winfrey and actor Will Ferrell. For his part, Kemp this week hosted a rally with Vice President Mike Pence, and President Donald Trump campaigned alongside the Secretary of State Sunday at a rally in Macon.

See also:

• Everything To Know About The Georgia 2018 Midterm Elections
• New Citizens Can Vote If They Provide Proof Of Citizenship
• Former President Carter Urges Brian Kemp To Resign
• Runoff Appearing More Likely In GA Governor's Race

Images via Kemp and Abrams' campaign offices