Statement from the New Georgia Project: Cobb County Early Voting Location Closures Are an Affront to Black and Latinx Communities

For Immediate Release

December 9, 2020

Media Contacts:

• Nicole Henderson
  • [email protected]
  • 404-939-1594

• Teresa D. Southern
  • [email protected]
  • 478-320-7753

Statement from the New Georgia Project: Cobb County Early Voting Location Closures Are an Affront to Black and Latinx Communities

Atlanta, Georgia – In response to reports that election officials in Cobb County set out to significantly cut down early-voting sites for the U.S. Senate runoffs, Nsé Ufot, Chief Executive Officer of The New Georgia Project (NGP), issued the below statement: 

“The record voter turnout we saw in the November general election shows that Georgia needs more, not fewer voting precincts. Cobb County has already faced some of the longest voting lines in 2018 and 2020. Cutting early-voting sites by half during one of our country’s most consequential races will make things worse.

“This move is an affront to voters of color, plain and simple. It risks disenfranchising voters of color living in neighborhoods with limited to no public transit. And as cases of COVID-19 rise across the state, this decision makes it more difficult for voters to cast their ballot safely.

“No matter what we look like or where we live, we should all have an equal say in our democracy. We call on the Cobb County Elections and Registration office to reconsider this change and make available the eleven precincts offered during past elections. It’s time for all eligible Georgians to exercise their right to vote.”

Nsé Ufot is available for interviews to discuss NGP’s work to fight back attempts to make it harder to vote and ensure all eligible Georgians can safely cast a ballot.

BACKGROUND

On December 7, it was first reported that Cobb County — Georgia’s third largest county — would scale back its voting locations from eleven to five, closing voting precincts that primarily serve voters of color. 

With wait times and long lines at the polls a continuous challenge for Cobb County’s voters, this new decision to cut options will affect the county’s 537,659 active voters. This will further limit voters’ ability to cast their ballot, compounded by a lack of access to public transit and the risks that COVID-19 poses to a safe and secure voting process. 

These intentional decisions to strip rights away from voters not only apply to the Senate runoffs in January, they also pose a risk to the upcoming Public Service Commission race and local municipality races. 

About New Georgia Project

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The New Georgia Project is a nonpartisan effort to register and civically engage Georgians. To date, the NGP has registered nearly 500,000 people from underrepresented communities to vote in Georgia. In addition to registering voters, NGP also advocates for civil and human rights causes and works to advance justice on behalf of historically marginalized communities. www.newgeorgiaproject.org.