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According to a new report from the Associated Press, more than 53,000 applications for voter registration are pending from the office of the Georgian Secretary of State, Brian Kemp (R).
The majority of candidates on this list are black, AP reported on Tuesday, and many candidates may not know that their applications have been put on hold. The point of sale obtained the documents from Kemp's office through a request for public documents.
Tuesday marked the deadline for residents to register and have the right to vote in the November general election.
Georgia counties review and process applications, according to the Secretary of State's website. A spokeswoman for Kemp's office told The Hill that the applications were being held because of state law on "exact matching", passed last year. The law requires that the information of the applicant correspond exactly to those listed by the state's Department of State Driving Services or by the Social Security Administration.
According to the law, if the information of a candidate on the results of a voter's form does not match the information of a federal or national database, the status of the applicant is "pending". If an application is marked as "pending," the voter registration database produces a letter giving the applicant 26 months to provide up-to-date information. Candidates who have been reported may mail a copy of "eligible identification" or present it to the polling stations.
Electoral authorities in Georgia have processed more than 6 million voter registrations since January 2014. Less than 1% are still pending, Kemp's office said in an e-mail addressed to The Hill.
Voter advocates claimed that Kemp's "exact match" law discriminates against black and minority voters, highlighting the racial makeup of the blacklist, which is 70 percent black, according to AP.
The report follows remarks by Stacey Abrams, Kemp's Democratic opponent for Georgia, who accused Kemp of cracking down on votes, particularly those of black and minority voters, according to the Associated Press.
Kemp has fiercely denied the allegations.
Kemp campaign spokesman Ryan Mahoney said in a statement to the AP that, thanks to Kemp, "it has never been easier to vote in our state".
"Kemp is fighting to protect the integrity of our elections and ensure that only legal citizens can vote," he added.
The population of Georgia is about 32% black, according to US Census data.
Kemp, however, blames a voter registration project launched by Abrams for racial disparities on the voter registration application list, AP reported. He told the press that the New Georgia Project, run by Abrams as the minority leader of Georgia House in 2013, was disorganized when it sought to register large sections of the state's population. .
The New Georgia Project targeted black voters.
Kemp's office said this disparity could be explained by "the increased use of a registration method among a particular demographic group," according to the AP.
Voting rights have become a strong point in the race of the Georgian governor, Abrams calling Kemp "a remarkable architect in electoral repression".
In August, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia accused one county of that state of trying to prevent African Americans from voting more easily when the county electoral council Randolph closed seven of its nine polling stations.
Abrams is the first African-American woman to be nominated by a large party as governor. The two men are embarking on a tight race, considered a "toss-up", according to an average RealClearPolitics query data.
– Updated at 18:39
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