U.S. courts rule against Georgia on voter
suppression cases
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[November 03, 2018]
(Reuters) - Two federal courts on
Friday issued rulings that order Georgia to allow some 3,000 naturalized
U.S. citizens to vote in elections next week and prevent the state from
throwing out some absentee ballots.
The rulings are a rebuke to Secretary of State Brian Kemp, whose office
oversees the voter rolls and who is the Republican candidate in the
state's hotly contested gubernatorial race.
The issue of voter suppression has been central to the governor's race
in Georgia, where Kemp is facing Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams, who
is seeking to become the country's first female, black governor.
U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross in Atlanta issued the order to allow
some 3,000 recently naturalized U.S. citizens to vote after their
registrations were put on hold.
Civil rights groups sued Kemp in October over 50,000 voting registration
applications placed on hold due to Georgia's "exact-match" law,
requiring that personal information on voter applications match what is
on state databases.

Ross' ruling allows the naturalized citizens to vote in Tuesday's
midterm election if they present proof of citizenship at the polls.
In the case on absentee ballots, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th
Circuit rejected Kemp's request to stay a lower court's ruling blocking
election officials from throwing out absentee ballots for a supposed
signature mismatch, without giving voters an opportunity to contest that
and confirm their identity.
"INAPPROPRIATE TO CHANGE"
Kemp's spokesman, Candice Broce, called the ruling about naturalized
citizens a "minor change", while criticizing the decision on absentee
ballots.
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An early voter casts his vote in Athens, Georgia, U.S., October 26,
2018. REUTERS/Lawrence Bryant

“Despite this outcome, our concern remains that it is inappropriate
to change long-standing procedures this close to an election," Broce
said in a statement on the decision on absentee ballots.
"Nonetheless, the state and counties will comply with" the ruling.
Civil rights groups celebrated the ruling on naturalized citizens as
a major victory.
“With respect to Tuesday’s election, we deem this a total victory in
our fight against Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s exact-match
scheme,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of
the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
The ruling on absentee ballots stems from a lawsuit by the American
Civil Liberties Union and others against Kemp and county registrars.
A District Court judge granted the temporary restraining order last
week, prompting the state to appeal the decision.
“Once again, a court has blocked Georgia’s attempt to obstruct
voters," said Sophia Lakin, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting
Rights Project. "This ruling is a huge victory as we round the final
turn to the midterms.”
(Reporting by Maria Caspani, Julia Harte and Tim Ahmann; writing by
Bill Tarrant; editing by Leslie Adler)
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