Malik Russel - NAACP
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
BALTIMORE (ELECTION DAY)—In complaints filed over two weeks ago, the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP reported malfunctioning voting machines and other irregularities in at least 4 Georgia counties to Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office and asked that these problems be investigated. Today’s reports of widespread problems with voting machines are consistent with those observed and reported by Georgia NAACP officials, and thus should have been addressed prior to election day.
In communications with the Secretary of State’s office last week, the NAACP provided names of several individuals who were impacted by these problems, but as illustrated by today’s machine malfunctions and breakdowns, little to nothing was done to correct the reported flaws. Additionally, the NAACP was informed that the entire statewide voter machine system went down for over a half hour during early voting, and that voters were told to go home or vote during election day.
“We feel that Secretary Kemp has been a consistent force against democracy in our state,” said NAACP Georgia State Conference President Phyllis T. Blake. “We knew there were problems with the machines and that’s why we filed complaints. Secretary Kemp’s failure to act represents a form of voter suppression,” she added.
The NAACP is closely monitoring this situation and will take any appropriate action necessary to protect the votes of communities.
The NAACP is asking individuals who have experienced problems at the polls to call our voter protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE
