Georgia GOP governor candidate sued over voter registrations

ATLANTA (AP) — Civil rights organizations have filed a federal lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State and Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp, accusing his office of preventing minority voters from registering ahead of next month’s closely watched race.

Thursday’s lawsuit targets Georgia’s “exact match” verification process, which requires that information on voter applications precisely match information already on file.

An analysis by The Associated Press found over 53,000 voter registration applications sitting in pending status. Nearly 70 percent of those affected are black.

Kemp oversees elections and is facing Democrat Stacey Abrams, who is vying to become the nation’s black female governor. Recent public polling indicates the race is a dead heat.

Candice Broce is a spokeswoman for Kemp’s office. In a statement, she called the lawsuit “bogus” and “a complete waste of our time and taxpayer dollars.”