Fulton, Gwinnett To Be Monitored By Federal Election Officials

WASHINGTON, DC -- Fulton and Gwinnett counties are among 35 communities nationwide that will be watched by U.S. Justice Department officials to make sure they comply with federal voting rights laws on Tuesday. The department's civil rights division will deploy personnel to 19 states, including Georgia.

Georgia has been under scrutiny during its nationally watched governor's election, with both Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp accusing each other of voter suppression and illegal voter registration hacking. Abrams and Kemp are locked in a tight battle to become the state's 83rd governor.

While state and local governments are responsible for administering elections, the department's civil rights division is charged with enforcing federal voting rights laws.

Along with Abrams' historic candidacy (she is the first African-American female governor to win a major party's nomination for governor), Georgia's governor's race is also widely seen as a political bellwether. Democrats are desperate for a high-profile victory, particularly in a Deep South state that has been dominated by Republicans for virtually all of the 21st century. Democrats also hope for a "blue wave" Tuesday night that will put them in a stronger position to oppose President Trump's policies and administration.

Early in the campaign, Abrams and her supporters, including former President Jimmy Carter, called on Kemp to resign as secretary of state because of voter suppression allegations. Kemp's office and other state officials were also sued by several groups for rejecting ballots under Georgia's "exact match" law.

Kemp himself made some ill-advised comments about voter turnout at a Buckhead campaign event, telling his supporters that Abrams' absentee ballot turnout operation "continues to concern us, especially if everybody uses and exercises their right to vote -- which they absolutely can -- and mail those ballots in."

Finally, on Saturday afternoon, Kemp's Secretary of State office formally launched an investigation into an alleged attempt by the state Democratic Party to hack Georgia's voter registration system. It also said it notified the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI about the alleged attempt.

On Election Day, staff members will be available all day by telephone to receive complaints from the public related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws (1-800-253-3931 toll free or 202-307-2767 or TTY 202-305-0082). In addition, individuals may also report complaints by fax to 202-307-3961, by email to voting.section@usdoj.gov(link sends e-mail), and by a complaint form on the Department’s website: www.justice.gov/crt/votercomplaint.

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