NEWS CONFERENCE 11 AM TODAY ON VOTING PROBLEMS IN GA

In response to news reports yesterday that 1000 early voters in Atlanta were left waiting in the cold to cast their ballots last night, a news conference has been called this morning to address these concerns. Apparently, four or five terminals used to verify voter registration went down at the Adamsville Recreation Center on Martin Luther King Dr., SW in Atlanta at about 7:30 PM.

The spokesman for Georgia Secretary of State, Karen Handel, whose voter verification procedures have come under scrutiny by the Department of Justice for possible violations of the Voting Rights Act, said that some of the machines would "time out" at that location and then encounter difficulty "reconnecting to the state voter registration system," according to a report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Some voters were not able to vote after this discrepancy occurred. To discuss the concerns these issues raise a news conference has been called today:

WHO: Rep. John Lewis

Mayor Shirley Franklin

John Eaves, Chairman of the Fulton County Commission (expected)

WHAT: To address the breakdown of voting machines which left 1000 Georgia voters standing in line last night when the polls closed an disenfranchised many voters WHEN: October 31, 2008

WHERE: Georgia State Capitol, Washington Street Side

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** UPDATE ** 

In response to voting problems in Georgia, Rep. John Lewis sent THIS LETTER to Attorney General Mukasey on Friday, October 31, 2008, asking for expedited preclearance of voting changes in Georgia that will resolve problems with voter registration machines and unmovable lines at Georgia polling stations.

CONTACT:

Brenda Jones
(202) 226 - 4673