Mon. Mar 18th, 2024

From today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Voting rights groups failed to prove in court that Georgia’s election policies disenfranchise voters, an attorney for the state told a federal judge Thursday, asking him to dismiss the case one month into a trial.

The move to throw out the voting rights case was the first opportunity for the defense to counter testimony against Georgia’s “exact match” voter registration policy, absentee ballot cancellation practices and registration errors.

The trial is the culmination of 3 1/2 years of litigation since allies of Democrat Stacey Abrams, led by the voting group Fair Fight Action, sued the state after her loss to Republican Brian Kemp in the 2018 election for governor.

Josh Belinfante, an attorney for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, said the trial showed minor problems facing voters — but not significant voting hurdles that would require court intervention to change election procedures.

“What we have are ordinary and widespread burdens that are not significant,” Belinfante told U.S. District Judge Steve Jones in a motion for a directed verdict. “Waiting in line for 30 minutes isn’t a burden that justifies court review.”

At one point, Belinfante argued that the role of the courts isn’t to guarantee a flawless election.

“True,” Jones responded. He plans to rule Friday on whether to dismiss some or all of the plaintiffs’ claims.

Read the complete story here.

By Editor