The Congressional Black Caucus is deeply concerned by the voter suppression activities witnessed during yesterday’s primary election in Georgia. Voters were met with excessively long lines, dysfunctional polling machines, ballot shortages, and unnecessary administrative delays. The scenes from Tuesday are very worrisome as we have seen repeated instances of voter suppression tactics deployed in primaries this year. Wisconsin and California both experienced issues around long wait times and ballot machine irregularities. The areas that experienced the most difficulties Tuesday included Fulton, Dekalb, Cobb, and Gwinnett Counties, all areas with a high Black population.
The Congressional Black Caucus calls on a thorough investigation into Tuesday night’s election. Additionally, Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger must immediately develop and implement a plan to ensure these issues are resolved in time for November’s election, including an expanded opportunity to vote-by-mail while ensuring in-person polling stations are well-equipped and safe for voters. Last but not least, the Senate must take immediate action to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 (H.R.4), which the House passed last December, to restore Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
The ability to hold credible elections is fundamental to any democracy. We must protect ours and that includes the entire electoral process.
