Early Voting Numbers Signal Big Turnout for Midterms as Voter Suppression Looms

In Georgia, close to three times the number of people who voted early during the last midterm election have voted early. The numbers went up over the first week of early voting in a state featuring one of the biggest races for governor in the U.S: Democrat Stacey Abrams vs. Republican Brian Kemp. Abrams would be the first African American female governor elected in history if she wins.

An October 9th Associated Press report found around 53,000 people — nearly 70% of them African-Americans — had their registrations placed in limbo because of some kind of mismatch with driver’s license or social security information.

A coalition of advocacy groups has launched a lawsuit to block Georgia from enforcing the “exact match” requirement that could block over 50,000 votes in the state. The Campaign Legal Center and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law argued in the suit, which was filed in a federal district court on Thursday, that the state’s “exact match” requirement violates the Voting Rights Act and the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The question a little over two weeks from Election Day is: Will high turnout be able to erase attempts at voter suppression.

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