|
Georgia could experience problems on
Election Day if turnout rises to record-breaking levels, a new
report found.
The report from Common Cause and The Century
Foundation suggests precincts be supplied with more provisional
ballots and more electronic voting machines to avoid long lines
and election-day glitches. The report looked at 10 battleground
states in the Nov. 4 election.
Florida, Georgia and Virginia have the most
potential problems, the report found.
But Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel
dismissed the report's findings. She said many of its criticisms
were actually policy disagreements over issues like the state's
photo ID requirement.
Common Cause, a nonpartisan group, was the
lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging Georgia's voter ID law.
Handel also said one of the report's
conclusions, that the state might lack enough electronic voting
machines to handle Election Day crowds, was based on erroneous
information. The report said the state is providing one machine
for every 500 voters. In fact, she said, the state has one machine
per 200 voters.
"The counties have been working very,
very diligently to make sure we are prepared," Handel told
The Associated Press.
Handel said voters worried about long
election day lines at their polling places should consider voting
in advance, either through in-person early voting or absentee
ballots.
|
