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• Candidates make one last speech to US voters.
ATLANTA – Georgian State Secretary Brian Kemp, also the governor's candidate for Republicans, said on Sunday that the authorities had opened an investigation into the Democratic Party of Georgia after "an unsuccessful attempt to hack the system." voter registration ". "
Mr. Kemp's office provided no evidence or details, and the Democratic leaders quickly declared the allegation false, describing the investigation as an abuse of power – Mr. Kemp also overseeing the elections – and a political cascade two days before a historic vote Georgia.
Kemp is in a tight race with Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams, who would become the first African-American woman to run a state. She denounced the investigation Sunday as a "desperate" gesture.
The sudden declaration of the four-sentence statement on the investigation exasperated Georgian Democrats frustrated by Mr. Kemp, whom opponents described as a "master of electoral repression" because of the purge of voters' lists and additional limits imposed on the vote. He has repeatedly refused calls to resign as Secretary of State in order to avoid any perception of bias.
In an interview with CNN, Ms. Abrams added, "He is desperate to divert the conversation from his failures, his refusal to honor his commitments and the fact that he is part of a national system. voter suppression that will not work. this election. "
Mr. Kemp's office stated that the F.B.I. has been informed of the investigation into the alleged piracy.
Kevin Rowson, a spokesperson for the F.B.I. in Atlanta, said the office had made no comment. When the F.B.I. receives the referrals, the agents then decide whether or not to proceed with an investigation. The office does not comment on the existence of investigations and traditionally avoids taking public measures likely to affect the elections.
Candice Broce, a spokeswoman for Mr. Kemp, said in a statement, "Although we can not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, I can confirm that the Democratic Party of Georgia is currently doing the following." 39; subject of investigation for potential cyber crimes. We can also confirm that no personal data has been violated and that our system remains secure. "
It was unclear how Mr. Kemp's office identified the Democrats as being behind the alleged piracy.
In December 2016, Kemp accused the US Department of Homeland Security of hacking Georgian voter registration records and Georgian secretary of state's computer systems. An independent investigation by the Ministry's Inspector General, which operates independently of the Ministry's chain of command, revealed that the activity that Mr. Kemp considered suspicious was in fact normal behavior between computer systems. .
"We recently completed our investigation of these allegations and determined that the activity noted by Georgia on its computer networks was the result of normal and automatic exchanges of computer messages generated by the Microsoft applications involved," wrote the inspector. General John Roth. letter to the House Oversight Committee.
Voter registration registers, which are kept state-by-state, are an attractive target for hackers. The records provide voter details, but are often stored in unsecured databases or computers with outdated systems. In the 2016 presidential election, Russian state actors polled the registration registers of 21 states, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
However, cybersecurity experts emphasize the difference between probing and editing documents to remove voters from a list or change their information to make them ineligible.
Rebecca DeHart, executive director of the Georgia Democratic Party, on Sunday called a new investigation "a new example of abuse of power by an unethical state secretary."
"To be very clear," she added, "Brian Kemp's rude statements are 100% false, and this purported investigation was unknown to the Democratic Party of Georgia until it was campaign in Kemp's office issued a statement this morning. "
Some Democratic voters, such as Dawson Zimmerman, a 28-year-old high school teacher, said Sunday that they were questioning the timing of the announcement.
"I think that, given the documented attempts to eliminate the vote from Kemp's point of view, I can not help but be skeptical about the timing and lack of evidence provided for the moment, "said Zimmerman.
As people began to gather Sunday afternoon for President Trump's rally in honor of Mr. Kemp in Macon, about 150 kilometers from Atlanta, several supporters of the Republican Party in Georgia said have already heard of the charges against the Democratic Party.
Although doubts were expressed about the fairness of the election, some voters nevertheless expressed confidence in the security guaranteed in Tuesday's vote. Shawn McClellan, who was leaning against a barricade and wearing a red and white shirt with the "USA" logo, said he thought the whirlwind of allegations regarding the election would settle itself. .
"The integrity of the political system takes care of itself," said Mr McClellan, a teacher from the suburbs of Atlanta. "I think it's good that there are challenges on both sides – it keeps them on guard."
He expects complaints by Wednesday morning, regardless of the outcome of the governor's race.
"Once one or the other side, the one who loses, they will scream," he said.
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