Brian Kemp’s Office Eviscerated by Federal Judge in Paper Ballots Case 

Judge Amy Totenberg Calls Out “Broad Range of Voter Complaints” In Georgia Elections 

ATLANTA – Today in a federal court order, U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg called out the offices of former Secretary of State Brian Kemp and current SOS Brad Raffensberger for their abject failure to secure Georgia’s elections and protect Georgia voters. 

Totenberg pointed out how the serious flaws in Kemp’s elections administration, threatened voter confidence in our democracy:

“The present voting system […] as constituted and administered by the SOS and counties, bear critical deficiencies and risks […] If voters’ capacity to cast votes are thwarted by an inaccurate express pollbook voting check-in or voter website, this burdens their right to cast votes, scrambles election day voting procedures, and ultimately, in turn affects voting results.” 

The order specifically focused on the security of Georgia’s voter registration database, which holds millions of Georgians’ personal information and was breached multiple times under Kemp’s administration, as cause for alarm. Says Totenberg:

“[The voter registration database] plays a vital role in the proper functioning of the voting system. Yet it has been open to access, alteration, and likely some degree of virus and malware infection for years.” 

Most critically, Judge Totenberg calls out that the full responsibility of these issues is on the Secretary of State: 

“Contrary to the State Defendants’ assertion that complete relief cannot be afforded without joinder of the municipalities, the Secretary of State is the chief election official. Georgia law confers primary authority on Georgia’s Secretary of State to manage Georgia’s electoral system.”

In the words of Judge Totenberg, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office has only just begun to work to provide a more secure election. Georgia Democrats have been fighting for Georgia voters for years and will continue to hold our leaders accountable until every citizen has confidence that their vote will count. 

The Democratic Party of Georgia’s groundbreaking voter protection program sets the model for the nation in serving voters at every step of the voting process and advocating for stronger election laws. Earlier this week, Stacey Abrams announced Fair Fight 2020, a nationwide investment in expanding strong voter protection programs in state parties across the nation, based off of the Georgia model. 

 Voters in Georgia who have questions about voting or who witness voter suppression can contact the Democratic Party of Georgia’s voter protection hotline at 1-888-730-5816. 

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