Judge deals blow against GOP, says Georgia must allow more than 3,000 to vote

A federal judge on Friday issued a blow to the GOP when she ruled that Georgia must allow more than 3,000 people affected by the states “exact match” to vote in this year’s midterm elections on Nov. 4.

According to the Washington Post, the “exact match” law flags voter registrations that are found to have discrepancies, and voters are allowed to settle any issues by providing proof of identity.

The ruling sides against Republican gubernatorial candidate and Secretary of State Brian Kemp, whose office oversees elections. Kemp has been repeatedly accused of purging voters from the rolls with a new exact match voting law that targeted minorities.

He’s running against Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams, who, if elected, would be the first Black woman governor in the nation’s history.

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On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Eleanor Ross granted an emergency request that will allow 3,141 people to vote on Tuesday. The majority were originally barred because the exact match law flagged them for citizenship issues.

Ross wrote in the 36-page order the court had “grave concerns” about “the differential treatment inflicted on a group of individuals who are predominantly minorities.”

“The election scheme here places a severe burden on these individuals,” Ross wrote in the order.

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As reported by usatoday.com, the injunction is part of a larger lawsuit filed by a number of civil rights groups that are sung on behalf of more than 50,000 people flagged as ineligible voters.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg of the sort of obstacles that are being placed in front of voters — disproportionately minority voters. We will continue to fight to knock every one of them down,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

“For now, we are thrilled that this order will allow over 3000 voters to vote this Tuesday without being subjected to unnecessary hurdles.”