US midterm elections: OUTRAGE as ethnic minorities ‘DENIED’ right to vote in Georgia state

Stacey Abrams is the Democratic candidate for Georgia and is hoping to become the country’s first black governor.

However, she has raised concerns that her rival Brian Kemp, who is the Republican candidate, is using Georgia’s strict voting laws as a way to prevent black Georgians from voting in the election.

She said: “I am concerned about voter suppression, but the antidote to voter suppression is voter engagement.

“We can win by overwhelming the voting box with eligible voters and his concern is right.

He’s concerned that if everyone who is eligible to vote votes, then he will not win and we tend to prove him right.”

Georgia’s voting laws say that residents need to have a valid form of ID to vote and that ID needs to perfectly match how they register.

Therefore, if they miss a hyphen in their name when they register, then they will be ineligible to vote.

Because of this, organisations have set up free clinics where they assist people with registering to vote.

Fallon McClure is the Georgia state director for one of these organisations called Spread the Vote.

She explained: “When you have to pay $32 to have ID itself and possibly pay up to $65-$70 for your birth certificate, now you’re deciding on getting food or paying bills or getting an ID.

“But when you don’t have an ID, when it comes to jobs, getting housing and other things, it becomes a hard circle to get out of.”

When asked if she thought if the state’s laws were being used to target people of colour, Ms McClure said that she did.

She said: “I do think its aimed at keeping some demographics off the role.

“Maybe that’s not what it was initially used for, but I do bier that’s what happens now.”

Following a rally where US President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump spoke, Mr Kemp was asked about the accusations that he was trying to surpass minority voters.

He adamantly denied the claims.

He said: “That’s ridiculous.

“We’re having record turn out right now, minority participation up, we have one million are on the roles than when I took office.”

Currently, polls have Mr Kemp ahead of Ms Abrams, but only by one or two points.