Lawsuit takes aim at Georgia's election process

ATLANTA - Several Civil Rights organizations have slapped the Georgia Secretary of State with a lawsuit regarding voter registration in the politically charged 6th District House race.

The Georgia NAACP, Lawyers Committee for Civil rights, Asian Americans Advancing Justice and other organizations said Secretary of State Brian Kemp is violating the National Voter Registration ACT by prohibiting voters from registering for the upcoming June runoff election. The lawsuit indicates federal elections, including runoff elections, allow for voter registration up until 30 days before the election.

The Georgia Secretary of State said he was following Georgia law, which requires a three month deadline for runoff elections.

“Georgia has a sordid history of discouraging voter participation. We ask they follow the federal guidelines, 30 days prior to the election should be when the registration period should ends,” Atlanta NAACP President Richard Rose said.

But Kemp said the June runoff is a continuation of Tuesday’s election and Georgia law said if you were not registered for the initial election, then you cannot register now.

“For us to have to stop and have our local election officials and registrars stop what they are doing in this process and implement something like this, it would be a nightmare that would really effect the integrity of the election,” Kemp said.

The Civil Rights organizations have asked for an emergency federal hearing as soon as possible.

Kemp dismissed the lawsuit as a political attack on him.

“This is another politically-motivated lawsuit because these groups from Washington DC are telling us how to run elections in Georgia because they have a candidate they specifically want to win this race,” said Kemp.

But the NAACP said Kemp clearly has a political agenda.

“I got emails about him endorsing Karen Handel and he should not. This is about the citizens of Georgia and he is a constitutional officer,” NAACP President Rose remarked.

There is no word on when a federal judge will grant an emergency hearing on the matter.