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Former President Jimmy Carter speaks at a press conference at the press conference of Democrat Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams as part of the announcement of her announcement. rural health care plan in Plains, Georgia, September 18. (John Bazemore / AP)
Felicia Sonmez
National Journalist in the Washington Post Political Press Team
Democrat Georgian Democratic Party candidate Stacey Abrams's campaign draws attention to a letter in which former President Jimmy Carter urged Abrams Republican opponent Brian Kemp to resign from his post as president. Georgian secretary of state, claiming that "public confidence is threatened" overseeing state elections.
Carter, who still lives in his hometown of Georgia with his wife, Rosalynn, sent the letter to Kemp last week.
Kemp's role as a candidate and secretary of state "runs counter to the fundamental principle of democratic elections, that the electoral process is run by an independent and impartial electoral authority," said Carter in his letter.
"In order to strengthen voter confidence in the upcoming elections, which will be particularly important if the race comes to a close, I urge you to step down and entrust a neutral authority with the responsibility of overseeing the governor's elections." Carter said.
Kemp and Abrams are facing a competitive battle marked by tensions over race and the right to vote.
Last year, Georgia passed a law on the exact matching of voters, which according to critics, aims to prevent minority voters from going to the polls. According to Associated Press, 53,000 applications for voter registration – most of them belonging to black voters – are on hold due to discrepancies between the information on the forms and that of residents. Separately, election officials have also been criticized for rejecting hundreds of ballots by correspondence.
Abrams, who would become the first black female governor of the country, described Kemp as an architect of electoral repression over the past decade and claimed to have "tried to steal the vote from 53,000 Georgians".
Kemp asserted that anyone whose registration was put on hold could vote on polling day provided they presented the appropriate ID.
In a statement, Kemp spokesman Ryan Mahoney said it was "sad" to see Abrams "using the former president to do his dirty work" and accused the Democrat of "trying to distract the voters by another publicity stunt. "
Amy Gardner and Vanessa Williams contributed to this report.
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