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Stacey Abrams: GA Secretary of State 'must stop finger-pointing and fix' voting problem

Updated  June 9, 2020 6:38pm EDT
2020 Election
FOX 5 Atlanta

Metro Atlanta voters experience issues at polls

A number of problems across metro Atlanta including long lines, lack of paper ballots, and issues with the new voting machines as Georgian take to the polls for the Primary Election.

ATLANTA - Former gubernatorial candidate and voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams called out Sec. Raffensperger for the mess in a tweeting, stating that Georgia voters "deserved better."

"Georgians deserve better. I voted today bc of absentee ballot defects. From Jasper to Fulton to Coffee &  Chatham, long lines, inoperable machines & under-resourced communities are being hurt. @GaSecofState owns this disaster. He must stop finger-pointing and fix it. #gapol," Abrams' tweet read.

State and county officials sparred over voting issues that plagued numerous counties, which have raised questions about Georgia's ability to manage elections in November.

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Voters endured heat, pouring rain and waited as long as five hours in some loctions.

In Fulton and DeKalb counties, Raffensperger stated that the failure laid with county leadership, who had "months to prepare." 

"Obviously, the first time a new voting system is used there is going to be a learning curve, and voting in a pandemic only increased these difficulties. But every other county faced these same issues and were significantly better prepared to respond so that voters had every opportunity to vote," Raffensperger released in a statement.

Widespread problems included trouble with Georgia’s new touchscreen voting system in races for president, U.S. Senate and dozens of other contests. Some voters said they joined the lines after requesting mail-in ballots that never arrived. 

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Numerous problems plague people at the polls

Metro Atlanta voters run into several problems at the polls on Primary Election Day including long lines, a lack of paper ballots, and issues with the state's new voting machines.

Polls were staffed by fewer workers because of concerns about the coronavirus. A reduced workforce contributed to officials consolidating polling places, which disproportionately affected neighborhoods with high concentrations of people of color. Long lines were also reported in whiter suburban areas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.