A national civil rights group has sued Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and Secretary of State Brian Kemp over their refusal to extend the voter registration period in Chatham County, Ga., which was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew.
Failure to adjust the registration period violates the constitutional right to vote and provisions of the National Voter Registration Act, according to the complaint filed by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
The NVRA requires states to process voter registration forms for a full 30 days prior to election day. The storm closed Chatham county government offices for what would have been the last six days of the voter registration period.
The complaint, filed in United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, seeks a court order to either extend the registration period in Chatham through October 18 or extend registration statewide through October 18.
Chatham County, which includes the city of Savannah, has more than 200,000 voting-age residents. About 40 percent are black or Hispanic. Nearly half Chatham County residents lost power during the storm. The county was one of six where residents were under a mandatory evacuation order.
South Carolina voluntarily extended its voter registration period after the hurricane and Florida did so as well under court order.
“We had hoped that Georgia would do the right thing by its citizens and not penalize aspiring voters impacted by Hurricane Matthew,” said a statement from Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee. “There is no right more important than the right to vote, and this suit seeks to ensure that those who wish to exercise that right are not arbitrarily blocked by the vicissitudes of a hurricane and the hardened stance of elections officials.”
Tony Pugh: 202-383-6013, @TonyPughDC