Abrams vs. Kemp: The future of voting rights is on the ballot in Georgia

By Sylvia Ruiz, Political Director, Let America Vote

When it comes to voting rights, the contrast in the race for Georgia governor could not be clearer.

On one side is Stacey Abrams, a genuine voting-rights champion who has committed her career to expanding access to the ballot. On the other is Brian Kemp, who used the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office to create barriers to voting and disenfranchise voters.

The outcome in November will determine whether the state expands access, embraces democracy and commits to serving all Georgians — or whether it doubles down on a discriminatory, unrepresentative status quo.

Let America Vote is strongly backing Stacey Abrams for governor because of her long record of defending Georgians’ access to the ballot whether they be white, black, Latino, Asian or Native American. We opened offices earlier this year in Georgia and have been talking to voters all summer about what’s at stake this fall.

Stacey fought against extreme voter-suppression efforts in the state legislature, including when Republicans enacted a strict voter ID law. She created a nonprofit voter-registration organization for people of color, expanding access to the ballot box for hundreds of thousands of Georgians. And in her campaign for governor, Stacey continues to register thousands of young and working people from all backgrounds so that they have a voice in the future of Georgia.

We couldn’t agree more with Stacey’s vision for a Georgia where “equality fosters prosperity, and where everyone has the opportunity to succeed – not just survive.”

It’s hard to think of a candidate further on the opposite end of the spectrum than Brian Kemp, who has made a career of dividing Georgians and making it harder for eligible voters to vote.  

Cut from the same cloth as notorious Kansas vote suppressor Kris Kobach, Kemp last year purged more than half a million voters from the rolls — after purging more than 700,000 voters from the rolls between 2014 and 2016.

During his tenure as secretary of state, critical election servers were wiped amid a lawsuit filed by election reform advocates seeking to update the state’s antiquated voting systems. And with mounting evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Kemp refused critical federal support to protect the state’s voting infrastructure. This year, he supported Republican efforts in the state legislature to limit polling hours in Atlanta, an obvious attempt to reduce turnout in the city.

These disingenuous and anti-democratic efforts have won Kemp the endorsement of President Trump, who clearly recognizes him as an ally who will support his disastrous policies and prop up his lies about rampant voter fraud.

The contrast could not be clearer: voters will choose between an unapologetic vote suppressor and a true voting-rights champion. We at Let America Vote are fired up to elect Stacey Abrams and defeat Brian Kemp in Georgia this November. We’ve already knocked 40,000 doors to make it happen, and we’ll be knocking more every single day through Nov. 6.

History will be watching the results in Georgia. Join us on the right side.

Text INTERN to 44939 or visit www.letamericavote.org/intern if you’d like to join our boots-on-the-ground team in Georgia. If you live elsewhere but still want to help, text VOLUNTEER to 44939, and we’ll show you how to get involved.