GA Trying To Block Newly Registered Voters From Voting In Fierce Runoff Election; NAACP Suing State

[Amaryllis]

Georgia Is Trying To Block Newly Registered Voters From Taking Part In Fierce Runoff Election
This is just typical, said the Georgia NAACP chief, who is suing the state.
By Sam Levine

Five civil rights and civic engagement groups have filed suit against Georgia and its secretary of state for attempting to block registered voters from participating in a closely watched runoff election in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District.

On Thursday, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a complaint in the federal district court in Atlanta, arguing that the state is violating the National Voter Registration Act. That law sets 30 days before a federal election as the earliest permissible deadline for voter registration.

Georgia complied with the provision for the special congressional election held this past Tuesday. But because no candidate won 50 percent of the vote, there will be a second election on June 20 ― a runoff between the top two finishers, Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel.

Georgia election officials contend that the June runoff is simply a continuation of the special election this week, so they don’t have to allow newly registered voters to participate. The registration deadline for Tuesday’s election was March 20, and officials say anybody who registers after that day is not eligible to vote in the June runoff.

Ezra Rosenberg, co-director of the voting rights project at the Lawyers’ Committee, argues that under the federal law, Georgia can’t set the registration deadline for the June 20 runoff any earlier than 30 days before that election ― that is, May 22.

“The case is actually a very, very simple case,” Rosenberg told reporters on a conference call Thursday. “Federal law specifically defines elections as including runoff elections.”

The National Voter Registration Act, passed in 1993, defines the word “election” based on the Federal Election Campaign Act. That 1971 statute defines an election as “a general, special, primary, or runoff election.”

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/georgia-voter-registration-runoff-ossoff_us_58f90c7ce4b06b9cb91505f8

[HoneyBadger]

1. SCOTUS time

This is their bread and butter.

[Initech]

4. Not with Gorsuch.

I'm very worried about this.

[wildeyed]

2. That is some next-level BS, even for the GOP.

Voter can register up to 30 days before the election. Can they even READ?

[Hoyt]

3. Seems easy enough to look back and see how runoffs have been handled in past

with respect to new registrants.

[Initech]

5. If they can't win, they'll steal. And that's exactly what they're doing.

We have to stop this bullshit.

[Panich52]

6. 48% Dem vote scared em. Heehee

[ProudLib72]

7. They rigged it on the 18th to buy some time

to come up with more bullshit ways of rigging the system.

[Ilsa]

8. In Texas, you can't vote in the runoff unless

You voted in the earlier election which created the runoff. At least, it was that way. Maybe it has changed. And GA law is different.

[HoneyBadger]

10. Federal law beats Texas law

[mountain grammy]

9. Give, give, give what you can

To the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

[Cha]

11. Damn.. we knew how important this Election is!