National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial and Nancy Flake Johnson, President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Atlanta, urge all Georgia voters to head to the polls, regardless of "on hold" status due to Georgia's discriminatory "exact match" policy. Early voting has begun.
"We agree the 'exact match' policy is discriminatory and support our sister civil rights organizations in their lawsuit to block it. And it is urgent that we remind Georgians they still can vote, even if their registration has been placed on hold," Morial said. "Everyone must bring photo identification to the polls. Do so and insist upon getting a ballot."
As a last resort, voters can request a provisional ballot, but must return as soon as possible to the Board of Elections with proof of their eligibility to vote at their designated polling site, so the vote can count.
"Do not be deterred," Johnson said. "Our power is in our vote. The people we elect make the laws of the land. Let’s use our power to elect people whose values and principles of fairness, economic access and justice align with ours. As African Americans, we owe it to our children, families and communities. When we vote, we also honor the countless martyrs who died to secure our rights."
More than 53,000 voter registration applications are on hold; nearly 70 percent of those are African American, according to an Associated Press report. Under Georgia's exact match policy, the state can reject a voter registration if so much as a hyphen is out of place. The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Campaign Legal Center and others have filed suit, arguing that the policy violates the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, and the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
"We need to be making it easier for every eligible American to vote," Morial said. "Unnecessary roadblocks are designed to reduce voter turnout among communities of color, students and senior citizens, and we will not stand for discrimination."
CONTACT: Teresa Candori
212-558-5362 | tcandori@nul.org
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