A federal judge rejects a call to reopen voter registration in Georgia after Hurricane Helene
A federal judge won’t order the state of Georgia to reopen voter registration for November’s elections in the presidential battleground state
ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge said Thursday that she won't order the presidential battleground state of Georgia to reopen voter registration for November’s elections despite recent disruptions to registration caused by Hurricane Helene.
U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross rejected arguments that the state should reopen registration through next Monday. The registration deadline was last Monday and she said in her ruling from the bench Thursday afternoon that there would be no extension.
Ross said in her verbal ruling Thursday that three groups that sued didn't sufficiently prove their members were harmed and said there are no state laws allowing Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the Republican defendants in the case, to order an extension of the voter registration deadline. Although the groups presented testimony Thursday that they know of at least two people unable to register, Ross said the testimony wasn't detailed enough to link that failure to the burdens of Helene.
“I don't think we had even one voter who had been harmed or would likely be harmed by failure to register to vote,” Ross said.
