Cut cable shuts down Virginia's online voter registration

[Galraedia]

Source: ABC News

RICHMOND, Va. -- An accidentally severed fiber optic cable shut down Virginia's online voter registration system for several hours Tuesday, the last day to register before the November general election, authorities said.

The Virginia Department of Elections said in statement on Twitter that a “fiber cut” affected connectivity for multiple agencies, including the department's citizen portal and registrar's offices. The cable was inadvertently cut during a Chesterfield County roadside utilities project, according to the state’s information technology agency.

Six hours later, the Department of Elections issued a statement saying the portal was back online. But the fallout already included threats of legal action and concern that voters were being disenfranchised at a crucial moment.

Voting advocates said the accident couldn't have come at a worse time and lambasted state officials for the technological failure. The day of the deadline is when many Virginians decide to register, particularly after being reminded on social media and in the news.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/cut-cable-shuts-virginias-online-voter-registration-73588695

[42bambi]

1. Accidently??

[sandensea]

9. Accidentally on purpose

[iluvtennis]

12. + 1. nt

[FuzzyRabbit]

2. Edited to add quotation marks where needed.

An "accidentally" severed fiber optic cable shut down Virginia's online voter registration system for several hours Tuesday, the last day to register before the November general election, authorities said.

Voting advocates said the "accident" couldn't have come at a worse time and lambasted state officials for the technological "failure".

[CTyankee]

3. Oh, C'MON! It's another dirty trick.

[pfitz59]

4. Reminds me of this

[FakeNoose]

5. Time to call Tech Support

[Judi Lynn]

8. Stupendous gif. Thank you. ❤️️

[keithbvadu2]

6. Terrorists, both foreign and domestic, know where to strike many critical points of infrastructure.

Terrorists, both foreign and domestic, know where to strike many critical points of infrastructure.

[McKim]

7. ACCIDENT!!!!!

Hey, this is NO accident. Shame on ABC News for calling it that. Let's rewrite this: "A suddenly and suspiciously cut cable interrupting last minute voter registration in Virginia. Stand by for an update on this possible crime of voter suppression."

[Evolve Dammit]

10. Highly unlikely it was an accident. This is a felony if intentional.

[Bengus81]

11. The fiber optic cable was just installed in the spring.....

Well then you can't say the maps detailing cable location were old and not up to date. They would have show placement location just months ago.

[C Moon]

13. They're getting ruthless. In California, the GOP was putting up fake ballot boxes.

[Sherman A1]

14. Agreed

And I expect more to come.

[stillcool]

15. sounds familiar...