Election Protection is working in Bleckley County, Georgia to ensure that students at Middle Georgia College are able to vote today after voting officials apparently extended, then suddenly withdrew, a deadline that would have ensured students were registered in time to use a regular ballot.
Federal observers have been sent to monitor the situation.
The controversy stems from a registration drive by the Obama campaign at the college, where 90% of the students are African-American. About 500 students were registered prior to the deadline, but the registrar then sent a letter to 370 of the students asking for proof of residence within three days. Most of these students did not even receive the letter until after that deadline had passed.
The Democratic Party and the National Bar Association urged the county attorney to resolve the issue. On October 31, the county attorney and registration officials said students could vote by regular ballot if they brought proof of residence to the registrar on or before election day.
However, at 4pm yesterday the Democratic Party received a letter from the county attorney stating that students would not be allowed to cast a regular ballot unless proof of residence had been presented prior to election day.
Congressman Jim Marshall (8th District) confirms to Georgia Election Protection that federal observers have arrived to monitor the situation at Middle Georgia College. Efforts are under way to contact the affected students and inform them that they can cast a provisional ballot on election day. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Right Under Law, the National Bar Association, and Georgia Election Protection have been monitoring the the situation and are working to help ensure that the affected students are notified. The groups are investigating the situation and assessing the appropriate steps to remedy the issue.
