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Georgia’s Toxic Primary Mess Is Unacceptable in Any Democracy

Statement of Aquene Freechild, Co-Director, Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People Campaign

Note: Voters in Georgia’s primary elections today faced hours-long lines due to problems with new election equipment, machines being delivered to the wrong precincts and too few provisional ballots being available. In addition, some voters never received their requested absentee ballots, according to reports.

What happened to voters today in Georgia is a chilling harbinger of what can happen to all Americans in November if Congress and the states don’t act.

Faulty election equipment, hours-long waits and undelivered absentee ballots in the middle of pandemic is an affront to voters and unacceptable for any democracy.

You would think that after what happened in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. – and considering its embarrassing history of choosing insecure voting systems – that Georgia would have ensured it was prepared to run a fair and safe election. It clearly did not, and now voters are paying for it.

The U.S. Senate must immediately pass the HEROES Act, which allocates $3.6 billion to states so they can expand mail-in and early voting, and ensure that a range of safer voting options are available to all voters.