Randolph County at center of voting dispute

Aug. 20--CUTHBERT -- A dust-up flared in Randolph County last week after the local Board of Elections announced the possible closure of seven of the county's voting precincts due to non-compliance issues with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The county of around 7,000 people will not likely determine the outcome of the governor's race between Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp, but after the Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote a story about the proposed closure of the precincts, tempers flared throughout the county and the American Civil Liberty Union waded in and took the issue nationwide.

Noting the small county's majority African-American population, the ACLU called the proposal "discriminatory, unjustifiable and a violation the Voting Rights Act."

The county held two public meetings to discuss the issue on Thursday and Friday of last week. Final action on the proposal is scheduled this Friday.

Democrats are blaming Kemp for using the ADA as a tool of voter suppression, while the GOP, which is claiming no ownership of the poll issue, is asking why the Democrats do not support the ADA?

Republican Gerald Greene, who represents the district in the Georgia house, was scratching his head late last week trying to figure out what happened.

"What many people don't get is, because of local control, this is strictly a Randolph County issue," Greene said. "It's not a Washington, D.C., issue and not an Atlanta issue. This is a Cuthbert issue."

Easter Seals of Southern Georgia Executive Director Beth English has a unique perspective from an ADA, as well as a political, point of view. She is an advocate for those with disabilities and also a member of the city of Vienna'sCity Council.

"The situation in Randolph County is a local issue, it's not a legislative issue," English said Saturday. "The ADA has been in effect for 25 years, and I fail to see how something like this would go unnoticed for so long, then come to light with just over three months to go before a general election."

For her part, Abrams has low-keyed the situation.

"Every Georgian in every county deserves to have their voice represented at the voting booth and in our government," Abrams said in a statement issued late last week. "I am the only candidate in this race with a proven track record of fighting to make sure every Georgian can make their voice heard. Voters should have the opportunity to show their support for bold policies that create pathways for all Georgians to thrive."

As Secretary of State, Kemp was already being hit with questions about the purging of voter rolls. Now he is dealing with allegations of voter suppression. He laid the blame for the squabble squarely at the feet of the Abrams campaign

"What is missing from the voter suppression arguments is a crucial fact: In 2001, Congress passed the bipartisan Help America Vote Act," Kemp's campaign said in a statement. "The law requires that secretaries of state clean and purge voter rolls of inactive voters. Georgia is actually far less aggressive in throwing people off the rolls than some states. All the claims that Kemp tosses people from the rolls ignores that he is required to do so by a federal law supported by both Democrats and Republicans.

"That Abrams supporters are already out screaming about Kemp denying people the right to vote and claiming the Russians are going to steal the election is just the best proof yet they know she will not win in November. Instead, they're trying to explain to donors that it was not her fault."

The average citizen in Randolph County is left to consider claims that Democrats are attempting to gin up outrage among black voters to boost turnout statewide on Nov. 6 or the GOP is trying to suppress voter turnout in one of Georgia's smallest counties.

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