Georgia County Can't Support Claim It Must Close Polling Places Over Access Issues

[fleur-de-lisa]

Officials in majority-black Randolph County lack the data to back a proposal to shutter most voting spots.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/georgia-county-close-polling-places-access_us_5b7c7484e4b07295150dbaf3?la

Officials in a majority-black Georgia county accused of trying to close almost all polling places to make it harder for black people to vote claimed last week that the locations couldn’t be used because of accessibility problems for people with disabilities.

But Randolph County doesn’t have a single recent report, analysis or document supporting the idea that it needs to close seven of its nine polling places due to accessibility issues, a lawyer for the county told HuffPost on Tuesday in response to a public records request.

HuffPost requested records from the county dating back to March 1, 2018. The county hired Michael Malone, an outside elections consultant now pushing for the closures, on April 2. But according to the county, it has no written record of evidence to back his recommendations.

“There is no document, report or analysis studying the handicap accessibility of polling places in Randolph County and the cost of fixing them within the time frame specified in your open records request,” Hayden Hooks, an attorney with the firm Perry & Walters, which represents Randolph County, wrote in an email. The county has no record of such a document in the past year, Hooks added.

[LanternWaste]

1. An election board vote on the proposal is scheduled for Friday.

I hope this story gets enough attention in GA prior to the meeting to affect positive change for the voters.

[uponit7771]

2. More republicans wanting to suppress votes !! This crap started WAY before Russia's Red Don

[SWBTATTReg]

4. I would think that if disabled voters want to vote, they can engage w/ helpers who'll get them ...

to the polls. So this malarkey about lack of adequately prepared polling places is bull. Why didn't they move the polling places to places that were adequate instead of closing them? Seems like fraud to me, trying to take voters rights away.

[murielm99]

8. This is fucked up.

My husband helps a disabled voter every election. The polling place is accessible, but the man cannot fill in the ovals by himself. My husband fills out paperwork with the election authority and hands it to the election judge. This is routine.

[SWBTATTReg]

10. Please tell your husband THANKS! for helping those in need...

A greater gift can not be given...

[GeorgeGist]

3. Malone is a Kemp lackey.

[saidsimplesimon]

5. Voter suppression

must be punished and prevented. Is there any recourse left in the court system against this type of crime?

[Ilsa]

6. Kemp is involved in a nasty lawsuit over an unpaid business loan

right now. He's looking for ways to cheat and swing the election his way, even though he's a deadbeat.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. Right of thousands to vote overrides right of dozens to access. Disabled can be helped other ways.

As needed, if needed.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

9. Also, let's see a comparison of accessibility in ALL Georgia's counties.

This smells rotten to the core........

[pecosbob]

11. If there's one thing I've found in life

trying to prevent people from voting makes them come together in surprising ways. Keep up the ratf*cking GOP...the world is watching.