These stories are disgusting. I live in Hawaii where voting is fairly easy--registration on election day possible, permanent absentee ballots, walk in voting, only need to show proof of residence at polls (i.e., utility bill, bank statement, etc.). Here they make it easy for you, not the nonsense that is going on in Georgia, North Dakota, and other states.
3
Stay strong and stand your ground, Stacey! Wait for every vote to be counted. Don't give that snake something he hasn't earned. He should have resigned before the election. What a blatant conflict of interest.
1
Of course, he resigned. He can't hold the office and raise money for the runoff.
1
Maybe its time for the feds to take over the electoral process, particularly when it comes to deciding who becomes President.
I'm at a loss as to why rampant fraud isn't investigated. Why aren't rules put in place to prevent these behaviors - across all states? How can votes go 'missing', how can voting machines work incorrectly, how can conflict of interest not be penalized?
Its a very strange country, this United States of America. Very good at slamming other countries for their bad behaviors, then does exactly the same thing with a look of innocence.
2
Since there is no conflict of interest now since Kemp resigned Georgia should just go ahead with the run off election because of several allegations. Since Kemp is no longer in charge of the ballots the re voting should be very fair now. If he actually won it fairly without rigging it the results should be basically the same. If Kemp was fair about his run then he should of resigned his post before handling the ballots and not after.
2
the whole kemp scenario- if it weren't real, it could pass as the greatest ( political ) farce ever. when I asked elementary school kids what they thought about it, they all said it was just like letting the cat guard the milk. but the greater farce ( and danger to our democracy, or whatever is left of it) - is that scenarios like that do take place in the US of 2018. but then, a gunman murdered 12 people in a crowded bar in Thousand Oaks, CA. the same US. and again, nothing will be done about it. so lets don't be shocked.
4
If they cannot win, the GOP will just change the rules. If that isn’t enough, they will just lie or cheat. It's not like this is the only incident over the past few years.
5
I’m just sad that people, on both sides of this incredibly polarized country, don’t see that this man should have resigned or, at the very least, recused himself from his leadership of the office overseeing election of Governor— of which he, himself, is running for.
It’s just crazy!
5
Of course. His job is done and he’s confident his voter suppression worked.
3
Welcome to Trump America where elections can be openly manipulated by those in power with absolute impunity.
M
4
As a Canadian I find this situation beyond the pale. How could someone who is running for election also be the electoral chief? This is a clear conflict of interest. Kemp should have been eliminated for that reason alone!
4
If outside observers were allowed to do just that and validate US elections as free and fair, what would they make of this gubernatorial race?
@Maggie
I follow the news pretty closely,and I have not heard that she supported voting rights for immigrants who entered illegally. Could you provide a factual reference, please?
Abrams is right to insist that every last vote in this race must be counted. And the public needs to hear from the FBI about that dubious claim Kemp made of attempted hacking of the election by the Democrats. There should be some accountability if it proves to be baseless.
4
Kemp is stepping down now that he has already used his position to suppress thousands of votes.
5
This paper makes it sound like he is resigning his secretary job so as not to look like he's corrupting the process. He's resigning because he declared victory and already rigged the process. He's basically telling Ms Abrams to go away
4
There are a lot of documented incidents of "mistakes" and "miscalculations" that created massive lines in Georgia polling places that, perhaps not-so-coincidentally, serve large African-American populations. When so there are so many "mistakes" and "miscalculations," and the man overseeing the election has so much to gain from such "mistakes" and "miscalculations," it smells a whole lot like the new Jim Crow.
2
This sets back Georgia's march to modernity. It's a step back to the confederacy, replacing jellybeans in a jar with perfect match. Is there no shame among elected GOP officials? The governor is a cypher.
A year too late! I can’t believe that Georgians put up with this nonsense of Kemp continuing to hold his position as election overseer while running. Just count the ballots!
After accounting for voter suppression, Stacey Abrams wins by 63,000 votes.
The people of Georgia deserve to know how many votes were suppressed.
NYTimes--Will you please tell the public all of the antics Brian Kemp has performed to suppress the vote in Georgia. These silenced voters are our people--this is our country, and we cannot stand by and let Kemp steal this election. I am heartsick when I hear all that Kemp has done.
2
Several days...or months...late and many dollars short. Not credible, this man is.
Kemp resigns after declaring himself the winner?
better late than never I guess....
5
Yea, the dirty work is done, and NOW is the time to resign. Scumbag.
What will the person who replaces Kemp do? Can we trust that person, who may have been hand-picked for their current job by Kemp.
1
If Kemp gets away with this it will be pure theft.
30
A picture is worth a thousand words indeed. The photo of Governor Deal and Mr. and Mrs. Kemp used to illustrate this article suggests the Kemps have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar or they resemble two cats and an empty canary cage.
It also conveys a two car collision at the intersection of Moral and Ethical, one a late model turbo-charged Wrong and the other an electric hybrid Integrity.
What is bizarre is that Kemp was driving both but only the Integrity was totaled.
Apologies to Pete Townsend but Meet the New South, same as the Old South. Georgia's been fooled again.
29
Kemp's resignation as secretary of state comes too late to avoid his deep and discriminatory conflict of interest. White Supremacist ideas, it seems, continue to float freely among republicans, as they negate the richness of our diversity in pure 'racist' terms, an institutional violence, and inequity, we do not seem able to shake. To everybody's loss.
19
Too bad Andrew Gillum conceded defeat so quickly rather than hang in. Now the Florida Governor's race is headed for a mandatory recount. It seems women know how to fight better; bravo to Ms. Abrams for not giving up.
24
In better times, I'd say the federal government should get involved in the process.
But given the current times, I'd pray they stay away.
9
On Being Both Player and the Referee
If it is determined that Kemp won because the counted votes put him in the winners’ circle, then the election for Georgia’s governor should be invalidated. All the people who were not allowed to register under Kemp, should then be afforded a chance to register. Once that is done, then a new election should be held. Of course, if Abrams is determined to have won in the original election, then that should stand as valid, and Abrams should be sworn in as governor. Kemp never should have been allowed to be both a player and the referee. The playing field and officiating were never level nor fair but tilted in Kemp’s favor from the start.
17
If the sitting US President were not Mr. Trump, say George W. Bush, he would have had far less votes or even couldn't have passed the primary. He is lucky, unfortunately.
3
Stacey Abrams should do the right thing and concede to Brian Kemp. She has lost the race and must accept this fact with dignity and grace. It is hard to face the truth but if she waits it will only become more difficult.
7
Kemp pulled every lowdown dirty trick in the book to cheat minority voters of their opportunity to exercise their right to vote. Abrams should concede nothing. No investigation is needed, simply read the news. This man is guilty of a massive conflict of interest, intimidation of the state Democratic party by a spurious "investigation" when they tried to call attention to huge vulnerabilities in the system, and looking the other way and refusing to investigate when machines and polling places were kept from public access.
44
@WPLMMT No, Stacey Abrams hasn't lost because all the votes haven't been counted. Kemp rigged this election as best he could, but Abrams is still too close for comfort. From disputed absentee ballots to tossing names off roles for shady reasons to cutting the number of voting machines in heavily Democratic areas (even wealthy Atlanta districts) - Kemp has tried to manipulate this race at every step.
Stacey Abrams has more dignity and grace (and brains and heart) than Kemp will ever have. Keep fighting, Stacey. We want you as our governor!
1
What of the investigation into the Democrats hacking Georgias election system. I should think that would be a priority for Mr kemp.
4
Brian Kemp is compromised. He's a walking chad. His failure to recuse himself renders the election results non-binding. Less 0.3 percent of votes and he is the man administering the election. Yep, we'll see this one in court. Kemp should honestly concede the race now. America is sick of suffering Florida's messes. Take it to a runoff if you want but Kemp doesn't belong near the capitol.
42
This fig leaf gesture on Kemp's part is purely self-serving PR at this juncture.
What next?
Wait, I've got it! Maybe we could get Scott Pruitt to recuse himself from any new policy decisions regarding his Big Energy pals.
13
Brian Kemp suppressed Georgia voters from exercising their legal rights to vote, through fraud and deceitful acts.
Vladimir Putin becomes tearful every time such destructive constitutional acts are committed by Mr. Kemp and Mr. Trump.
13
Kemp purged over 700,000 voters from George's voting rolls just prior to the election and then withheld another 53,000 registrations. Kemp is an a unconscionable cheat.
50
@Jeffrey Green
And Georgians don't understand this is a sign of unethical behavior.
1
Abrams is typical of losing Democrats who are unable to accept defeat. Thank God the U.S. Supreme Court is now solidly conservative.
8
Hey Rolf, Exact Match would have prevented you along with the 1/2 million plus others from voting because your name and town would be written in differently on various forms.
@Rolf
Unable to accept dishonesty is what it actually is.
If I was a rightie, I'd say that ferners have no business opining about our elections... But since I'm a leftie, I'll say Dems don't accept defeat when the other side cheats.
1
Horses flee,
Barn door closed.
5
Apropos only when and if voter-suppression acts are tackled and abated.
Kemp's dishonesty and feeble attempt is wrong on every level. From voters suppression to democratic party hacking the voting system is pure evil. I'm guessing that the 53,000 votes has been suppressed or been tempered with by his pffice.
12
Unbelievable! What a stunt! The guy who purged the voter rolls and tried to close down polling venues in small Georgia towns, the guy who oversaw the state gubernatorial election he
ran in, is now stepping down before the vote is even counted and certified. Wow! This is worthy of Republican politics from the White House on down. The electorate of Georgia is to pitied.
24
Mr. Kemp,
Much too little, much too late. Your corruption of the most important right and responsibility of any American citizen--voting--is just one more evidence that there is nothing clean, legal, or moral about anything associated with Trump.
Shame on you.
24
Now he resigns, after doing everything he could to fix the race by disenfranchising voters for the lamest of reasons, shades of Katherine Harris of Florida, 2000. A plague on him; another in a long line of sanctimonious hypocrites who'd sell his grandmother to the lowest bidder if it helped his political ambitions. Feh.
27
It is window dressing now that he thinks he has stolen the election in plain sight.
This man has been the polar opposite of what anyone for good government would want from the person supervising elections. He rejected help from the Feds to secure the state's election systems, but spent every waking hour trying to throw people likely to not be Republicans off of the voter roles.
12
So very kind and generous of Mr. Kemp to resign now that people have already voted. Clearly, his integrity knows no bounds.
In other news, we will now be allowed to choose our Lotto numbers AFTER the winning numbers have been announced.
14
Count every vote before calling the race. If the tables were turned, you can be assured that Republicans would be demanding the same.
18
Is not this resignation a little too late to avoid a true conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest? He should have resigned a long time ago or not have run for office.
What a sham of an election states have that don't follow the Colorado model of mail-in ballots and registration taking place at the DMV when issued a drivers license or a state ID.
7
Count ALL the votes. Kemp was responsible for the voting districts of ALL Georgia and it's my conjecture there will be situations where MORE VOTES will be cast which exceed the number of VOTERS REGISTERZED in several districts, and the EXCESS number of votes cast will ALL be for Brian Kemp.
11
I just got off the telephone with a close friend who is on Stacey Abrams' legal team. She tells me they had FORTY-FIVE people just manning phones for those calling with voting problems and that the length and breadth of reported voting irregularities is stunning. Among the more egregious was the fact that Kemp's office declined to fund the printing of additional provisional ballots--which meant that many precincts ran out, given how many hundreds of thousands had been purged from the rolls. And when they ran out, polling officials simply turned voters away, with no record of their attempt to vote, no nothing.
Please, NYT, we need you down there. This story is even bigger than you think.
49
There have been significant allegations surrounding Kemp in his time in office..I very much doubt he will get through a full term without some serious drama.
Hopefully a recount will spare GA of having to suffer through him at all.
7
No doubt that Kemp resigned because he has already rigged the vote results.
10
At least we Georgians will get a chance, on Dec. 4th, to elect a Democrat to the office of Secretary of State. John Barrow, if elected in the runoff, will ensure the 2020 election is honest.
8
How desperate a man is Kemp, that he would remain in charge of elections while he was running for Governor, and then step down, as if he had already been declared the winner?
This smacks of Election fraud to me. Kemp has no respect for the election laws he had sworn as Secretary of the State of Georgia to uphold.
What kind of Governor will he make? Certainly not one that represents all of the voters in Georgia, which makes me suspect that not only is he a man who cannot be trusted, but is also a bigot to boot
The closing of polls, malfunctioning of machines, purging voting records, etc., smells rotten and that smell is emanating from Kemp himself.
How did the State of Georgia, the home of one of the most honorable Presidents we ever had, Jimmy Carter, end up with a man like Kemp . If I were a Georgian, I would be ashamed to be represented by this man.
14
Brian Kemp manufactured and placed the fix to rig this election. The fix was allowed to work and produce its results.
Now the rigger resigns from the position of being in charge of the elections. This way, he says, the recount will be credible.
This man is a low-life; this man does not have the character to hold high office.
Rigging elections are criminal frauds. A criminal investigation should be launched by the FBI into what Kemp did to rig this election.
7
Orchestrated by Brian Kemp, a man who campaigned with media ads featuring his shotgun aimed at a boy, Georgia showed the nation and world what election rigging and voter suppression looked like. So far, Kemp and his Republican enablers have gotten away with this travesty.
If Dr. King was here now, bet the ranch there would be non-violent direct action until the thousands of mishandled votes were counted under the eyes of honest public officials.
8
Why did he resign at this moment? What is his angle? He has one. Hopefully the authorities can figure out what that is.
4
How lame is that?? That's like robbing the bank and giving half the money back if the bank promises not to press charges. That's just more proof that this person lacks the ethics to be the chief executive officer of state government.
Sad day for Georgians who their governor sought to disenfranchise and silence in service of his own political ambitions.
5
Brian Kemp should have resigned from his position as Secretary of State to run for governor. In fact, there should be a law requiring this.
The decisions leading to Georgia's voting laws were certainly political in nature. The changes favor the party in power, just as gerrymandering favors the party in power.
However, the voting numbers in Georgia do not support widespread nor systemic voter suppression. Georgia saw a 53.8% increase in votes cast in this election versus the last gubernatorial election. Compare this number to New York, which saw a 38.7% increase versus the last gubernatorial election. Furthermore, a larger percentage of Georgians compared to New Yorkers have voted in every major election since 2008. Thus, this increase is not due to previously low turnout in Georgia.
Stacey Abrams garnered more votes in Georgia than did Barack Obama (either election) and Hilary Clinton. Abrams also received a greater percentage of votes in Georgia than did Obama or Clinton. Despite Georgia's laws, record numbers of voters cast ballots.
It is possible that the slim margin of (likely) victory for Kemp would not have occurred without Georgia's particular laws on voter registration.
However, I think that it is a misrepresentation to cast this battle as white v. black. It is about power and influence and I have rarely seen a politician who doesn't stack the deck in his or her favor.
3
Democracy is founded under the principles of people's confidence, that all their voices are heard.
Kemp ignored this fundamental principle by not resigning or recusing from a post that oversees the race which he is running in himself.
People have lost confidence in the way this Georgia race was ran. The only way to regain the confidence is a runoff race under the fair rules of democracy.
4
"Mr. Kemp said, 'I think in light of where we are now, this will give public confidence to the certification process...'." Translation: "I've made sure that I have enough votes to carry the election, whatever happens in the recount, so I'm resigning to give the appearance of propriety.""
4
Kemp should withdraw from the governors race as well. The voter suppression witnessed in the state of Georgia should disqualify his candidacy along his anti American actions during the race. When we as a nation allow elections to be stolen instead of earned, we invite authoritarianism. We cannot accept denial of citizens right to have fair elections and we must demand that there is no no question as to an elections integrity. Until we stop allowing these types of leaders in government to behave this way, we will continue to be divided. That people would support his actions is egregious and unconscionable. We are risking losing our Democracy on a regular basis now because we allow this to occur. I for one will work to stop this not let these people win in the end. We must support and vote people into office who will honor their oath to the people of this country ..
3
Beyond the untallied votes are something like 50,000 unprocessed voter applications, 4/5 of which were from African Americans, according to previous reports in the press. So my feeling is that even if the uncounted ballots don't add up to enough to force a runoff, Ms. Abrams should file suit. It simply wasn't fair for Kemp to both oversee and run in this race.
8
NOW he resigns? He should have resigned when he first filed papers to run for governor, BEFORE he started tampering with voter registration!
I support Stacey Abrams using legal means to get every vote counted. If there is a crowdsourcing effort, I would contribute to that fund. Kemp should be prosecuted for voter suppression.
14
What happens if a court determines that voter suppression has indeed occurred? Does it invalidate the election in its entirety, adjust existing vote counts to reflect a corrective factor, or do something else? This could take time to sort out. Georgia might be without a governor for awhile.
10
@woofer
We would be better off than with Kemp.
What happened to the 53,000 voter registrations Kemp put on hold?
35
@klm
A Georgia judge temporarily suspended the GA "equal match" state law, which essentially released the 53,000 mismatched ID registrations for those voters to go to their polling location and vote.
2
They could still vote with provisional ballots having three days to provide supporting documentation to the voter registration office.
1
@klm
Until they ran out of provisional ballots and refused to print more of them.
3
Brian Kemp has abused his powers already. Resigning now is preferable to having him oversee a recount, but it can't make up for the damage he has done.
34
Kemp has instigated and created bad Karma for himself . Kemp will do himself more harm than any of his voter suppression/fraud activities.
10
What a joke. How is it even legal to administrate an election in which you are a candidate. The fact that his own party had no problem with it pretty much invalidates any claim they may have to any sort of honor or principles.
46
It is such a conflicted situation to live in this state..
9
Trump lead the way now people such as Kemp will follow his template. Honesty and integrity has been thrown aside with winning at any cost being the goal. Trump showed them how to do it now the rest will crawl out from under the rocks and run for offices. It's "Boss" Trump and Tammany Hall all over again with the Republicans in charge this time around.
18
I'd like to see a return to the stockades for this kind of brazenness. It's really incredible how HARD he had to cheat to eke out even the tiniest little margin. These people are exhausting...and they count on that.
27
@AnnaT
Exactly... exhaustion and exasperation with the process are the two tools they pull out to beat down calls for fair representation and universal suffrage.
Kemp is a true Trumpista. Bluster, bluff, lies and chicanery.
Donald Trump should look no further for a NEW Attorney General, considering the mole, Matthew Whitaker, will not make the constitutional cut.
Mr. President, Kemp for AG!
14
Mr. Kemp appears to be ethically challenged. Good luck, Georgia, if you end up with him as your governor.
20
Why resign BEFORE the gubernatorial election? That would make it so much harder for him to cheat the way he did. What vile, petty men comprise the modern Republican party.
23
In such a close election, wouldn't you want to be as transparent and clear as possible with the votes, especially accounting for the un-tallied ones, if you did, in fact, belive in the democratic process?
109
@Jt Sadly, the Confederacy is still alive and has gained new momentum under the current administration. Kemp only cares about what the white voters think, and too many of them would view his actions as "following the law." People like Kemp operate on their own rules - and have gotten away with it. Hopefully this eloquent, morally grounded, impeccably prepared, Black woman - Stacey Abrams will usher in the change that is so needed in this part of the county.
4
@Jt. He doesn’t he only believes in winning! Isn’t that the Republican way now. Lie, cheat and steal as long as you win. Democracy means nothing to them.
In Colorado, citizens register to vote when getting a DL or state issued ID. When it's election time, registered voters are mailed their ballots. We can fill them out at home & return in the mail (with two stamps please). If we dawdle too long, they can be dropped off in a one of many secure ballot drop off boxes throughout the state. For those who prefer, there are numerous in person voter centers open for voting early on on election day.
Colorado doesn't have an election fraud problem. What we do have is huge voter turnout and participation.
Keeping the state voting system decrepit and unreliable is THE main approach of Brian Kemp as well as Politicians in states that are obsessed with voter fraud which institutionalizes voter suppression; translation - thwart full citizen voter participation.
241
@Pat
That sounds so -- sane!
9
@Pat
In Washington state, all voting is by mail, and starting with this election it is postage free.
Although I kind of miss voting in person, must say it sure is easy this way.
15
@Pat It's an implicit Jim Crow approach down here in the south. On election day, I had no line to contend with. I was in and out within 5 minutes. Where we live, you could hit a polling station with a rock in any which way you throw it.
But those in the city and in populations with heavy minority representations, their access is restricted and then they get to endure long waits.
Suburban and Rural voters have a completely different election experience that the urban areas.
It is shameful and embarrassing.
19
Kemp is disgusting. He was caught on audio "concerned" that he would lose if all registered voters went to the polls. He refused to resign or even recuse himself from Scty of State duties related to elections, allowing himself to be both "player and referee" as someone here put it, and shamelessly used a repeat of well-known voter suppression tactics for which courts have already previously condemned him. He slandered Abrams' campaign two days before the election with a hacking allegation for which he felt no need to offer any evidence, a la Trump.
Now he is trying to intimidate Stacey Abrams into conceding simply by sticking out his chest, claiming victory, and resigning his old job. I wouldn't be surprised tomorrow to see him unloading his furniture on the sidewalk in front of the governor's mansion.
He is the personification of the Trumpian, good-old-boy, chauvinist, post-Jim Crow era here in Georgia.
335
@Jenny Exactly what I've been saying.
3
Karma may be Kemp's counting his gubernatorial chickens before all the chickens are hatched.....votes are counted; and coming up short.
Kudos to Stacey Abrams for insisting on a complete count rather than conceding so soon!
17
Kemp should withdraw for how blatantly he violated his position to suppress votes. Grow a spine, for the love of God.
9
Not slow enough to offer many Georgians enough of a clue to understand the integrity lacking in his governance. Who said folks of colour were less smart?
5
The identifier of Georgian politicians as corrupt been apparent since Kemp’s refusal to abdicate his job as Secretary of State and the submersing of black voting rights Statewide by the GOP to keep their ship afloat.
9
I guess he resigned because he thinks the fix is in...
8
Sure. Do all the dirty junk to disenfranchise people, until all the ballots that are eligible have been cast, and THEN resign.
When it won't matter any more.
Can we make him resign from everything?
8
Now that if has come down to end he removes himself. REALLY!
4
“My work is done here, I’m ready to step down and let somebody else tote up the votes — the fix is already in.”
— Brian ‘Poll Tax’ Kemp
4
Sorry guys, but I thought that "banana republic" referred to only third world countries!
11
Peach is the new banana?
4
@MH
Once again:
Banana Republic refers specifically to certain Central American dictatorships whose economies relied on one cash crop, bananas, and who gave ultimate authority to the corporation in charge of protecting the banana plantations and growing the fruit.
This race reeked from start - he should have resigned months ago, and certainly the moment he decided to run for governor. This is beyond dirty politics, and I hope he loses for this and for the continued purging of voters and suppression of legitimate voters. Just disgusting - I hope he is prosecuted and not rewarded for his dishonest and illegal run.
10
@Fran Just think of how those of us who supported Tracey feel about this. We thought that Georgia was making remarkable progress and then we got Georgia's Trump. I've lived through Republican governors here but none of them came close to matching Kemp when it comes to corruption and incompetency. Kemp doesn't care how tarnished he appears. He only cares about gaining power.
2
Well won’t he look foolish when he’s forced to move out.
4
If this wretched political hack actually does end up being Georgia's governor, it will always be known by people of integrity and good faith that he bullied and bought and manipulated his way into the job. He is nothing more than a common cheat. The man could crawl under the belly of a snake and never touch it. Those who voted for him should be ashamed.
9
It’s a man’s world...
@Baby Cobra
Right. That why black female first time politician Democrat Lucy McBath beat the pants off long time Republican politician Karen Handel in suburban Atlanta's hyper conservative 6th District. (Former holders of that office: Newt Gingrich and Tom Price.)
1
Kemp resigns now that the vote is done?
He should have been gone before he had control over the voting process in which he was a candidate.
I smell a rat.
10
Kemp's a liar and a vote stealer.
He should a resigned as Sec of State, as soon as he knew he wanted to run for a different office.The people of the state od Georgia deserve better! Have a recount or a redo of the election.Taxpayers should get a fair and clean election.
10
Too little too late. In my opinion, Mr. Kemp violated his oath of office as well as Georgia ethics regulations. He had a blatant conflict of interest with regards to the outcome of the gubernatorial election but also an apparent conflict of interest since he threw his hat in the ring for governor. He should have recused himself from all election planning and decision making once he decided to run. If he is confirmed as the winner of the election he should not be sworn in until all of the ethics issues surrounding his running of the election are resolved. Otherwise the creditability and reputation of the State of Georgia will forever be compromised.
9
@Indy1 As I've said before, he's Georgia's Trump. At least he can't hurt the entire nation, like Trump has.
1
Earlier Georgia Secretary of State had done the same. Check around for more examples.
2
What the Republican party has learned, here and in Florida, is that voter-suppression efforts are successful. That means they will do more to suppress ballots in future elections in every state of the nation. Citizens and the media must shine a light on this practice and make every effort to thwart it. Our democracy depends on the right to vote for every American.
14
yes and this is their plan for staying in power in the coming years
they know the country’s getting browner and the numbers are not on their side - the strategy is to suppress suppress suppresss and if they can pull it off have no election(s) at all
I live and vote in Atlanta. We had early voting since October 15. Mostly at county court houses and the lines were long and diverse. Then early voting at polling places and the lines there were long and diverse. Your choice if you wish to wait to vote or leave. The only voter suppression I witnessed were from people that didn't follow the rules. Georgia doesn't have voter registration day of and allow the vote black or white. I don't see how they could make it more fair. Some are never satisfied.
9
You're right. We will never be satisfied until everyone who is eligible is able to vote without impediment. Middle and upper class people can be so clueless; what seems like reasonable precautions to them can be serious roadblocks to the poor.
3
@Barry
And as a Georgian it would have been "fair" to have a running candidate appoint an interim to the election process to prevent this obvious question and chaos. What the heck did Georgia expect when Kemp oversees the election. Very fishy to me.
silly, American democracy was never intended for the poor. the GOP is just upholding the vision of our founding fathers.
Brian Kemp has to resigned way before election or to take long leave from work. It’s great deal with administrative resource to pull up the victory for Kemp might have been used with voters registration and claims of fake hacking into election system by DNC. False claims investigates by FBI to see if Kemp violated any elections laws.
3
Like many, I call this at minimum an admission of probable culpability, if not outright guilt, of abusing his position as secretary of state to tilt or downright rig the governor's race in his favor. Kemp's resignation now means nothing less than this was in all likelihood a stolen election. I hope that Stacey Abrams will take this all the way through the courts (even if Kavanaugh & Co. will reject it), and that the new Democratic house majority will launch a thorough investigation of these elections. As this was also an election for Congress, Ms. Abrams vote count was not only one affected by Kemp's shenanigans, and is thus also a federal matter.
15
Talk about election suppression. Kemp was Secretary of State for GA WHILE HE WAS RUNNING FOR THE GOVERNORSHIP. Isn't that illegal? If it isn't, it should be. Kemp absconded with hundreds of thousands of ballots for flimsy reasons. I believe he was told he needed to contact these voters to tell them their votes were not going to be counted and why. Did he do this? The GOP seems to not care anything about protecting American voters.
8
Kemp's reluctance to show a breakdown of votes cast is very revealing - why would it be bad for him to be upfront about votes cast, especially when all he's done is claim he wants "fair elections" and how hard it is to cheat in the State of Georgia.
Is it? Is it hard to cheat? Kemp sure doesn't seem to be having a hard time cheating.
14
I would vote for Stacy Abrams for any position she wants. Governor, Senator, or President. She fights.
22
@Chris She's the best candidate we've ever voted for. I hope she continues to run for office, even if she loses this battle. We are so proud of her and she has supporters of all ages, racial backgrounds and socio economic backgrounds. Her loss will be a big loss to our state.
2
@Chris
Yes she is impressive and knocked my socks off. Professional, tactful, intelligent, and knew our issues. I am sickened that she lost. She worked hard and campaigned everywhere!
So very disappointed in Georgia.....
If I can buy a car online, a house online, spend thousands of dollars on commerce online why can't I vote online? Why do we need to still need to deal with long lines, broken machines, and all this other bogus stuff. Plus voter turnout would go to 90%+ instantly.
4
@Scout - In Oregon we vote by mail. We have weeks to do it, and much of the chance for electronic shenanigans is cut out. It's hard to beat the security of the US Postal Service.
6
Mr. Kemp has disgraced the people of Georgia by lacking common sense and fairness in managing this election cycle.
A press release doesnt count, standing alongside Gov. Deal as the heir apparent doesnt count...what matters is every lagetimate vote being registered.
A governer that games the system will not serve the best interests of the state.
6
Are there 25,000 uncounted and provisional ballots or are there more than 63,000 as statistically required? Why is this so hard to know? Does anyone not keep even a reasonable estimate in the event of a close race?
7
@Charles
Neither. It is 21,358.
1
The Georgia race will require careful review.
Mr. Kemp is a particularly noxious politician and a throwback to another time. This so-called election was tainted from the beginning and that is Kemp's fault. He may have thought that he could do it the old fashioned way...cheat. And because he refused to separate himself from the process, as any honest person would do, he will now open the process up, rightly, to a what will hopefully be a detailed, transparent forensic examination.
Voter suppression is democracy in decline.
And the people of Georgia should be grateful for that scrutiny. Stacey Abrams is better qualified, smarter, more honest and ultimately a better choice for the people of Georgia than Brian Kemp ever was on his best day.
20
@interested party
Speaking of forensic examinations,
what assurance do we have that Kemp and his cohorts haven't destroyed or corrupted relevant records while "serving" as GA SecState,
» making proper review impossible?
3
Noxious because he did his job, enforcing the laws enacted by the state legislature? Noxious because he ran for another government position? Noxious because he isn't a member of your preferred political party?
You might want to check yourself.
2
@Margo noxious because he’s notorious before this election for voter suppression and because he did not resign his position to remove the appearance that he was cheating
2
the election is over. be a good sport and concede. there's no way that she can get a runoff even if 100% of the remaining ballots went to her. do not embarrass the party any more than it has been.
7
@Robert - Proof, please.
This is a Democracy. EVERY legal vote counts and must be counted.
3
@Robert If she gets enough votes to put him under 50%, the law in Georgia demands a runoff. He is barely over 50 percent now and has lost a couple of tenths of a percent since Tuesday. Do you understand now?
1
Worrying about embarrassment is two years too late. I’m worried about our democracy. Kemp should have resigned when he decided to run. Why didn’t he?
1
By allowing acting secretary of state to supervise his own election, Georgia will probably get the governor it deserves.
11
@observer
Not all of us deserve Kemp. Just like America, America doesn't deserve Trump.
Maybe, just maybe, the GA election process will be investigated.
Overheard: "It doesn't do anybody any good for him to quit now, after he's done the damage."
3
It is unethical for him to oversee the recount, but it wasn't unethical for him to oversee rules about who could or could not vote for him. Please explain.
8
When I read the headline I initially thought he was resigning over the inept way the election was handled! No power cords for the voting machines, 3+ hour wait times? Did someone not realize election day was approaching? I lived in Atlanta in the day and voted in there in the 90s. Seemed like it went far better then.
101
Julie, that is all organized at the COUNTY level.
2
Too little too late. Kemp remained in the job through Election Day to:
1) continue his voter suppression efforts, and
2) ensure the state shoddy system was shoddy enough to get him elected governor.
Congratulations, Mr. Kemp. That’s real sleaze.
9
Doesn't make Georgia look like a place decent people would be comfortable moving to, the government itself corrupting an election.
8
Sounds like a perfect replacement for Trump in the next two years because he is copying that playbook perfectly. Hopefully he won’t live that long
1
There is no way to loose votes. Impossible
Look @ a County website...ALL votes are listed.
You can check to make sure your vote is counted.
From the county website votes are combined @ State level.
Too many check points to loose votes.
2
The corruption around the midterms in Georgia needs to be investigated, clearly, and the votes need to be re-counted.
News was steadily pouring out these past few weeks about voter registration problems, as well as election day problems.
Stacey Abrams, stay strong. You've got millions of supporters who recognize that you were robbed.
10
Another Brian Kemp lie! He did not resign to instill public confidence in the election process. He resigned just in case there is a run off. Since there is a Special Session of the Georgia Legislature ongoing, if he did not resign he could not accept campaign donations for the runoff. Hoist this man on his petard.
179
@Liane
This is from Shakespeare. The correct phrasing is ...with one's own petard" or "....by one's own petard", not on. You, as with the case by other commenters, are asking for the system to be what it isn't, the law what it isn't. It works the same for both parties. It did when Democrats were in the Georgia majority prior to 1980. Abrams would've had her run off and might even won had she not rattled on to carelessly include illegal immigrants in her "Democrat blue wave" campaign speech. Abrams was given the chance by an Atlanta journalist to explain or clarify that incendiary statement and she refused, just as she did when insulting the agriculture workers and business owners of Georgia. It is her right to hold those opinions, 'ya just wait till you win the election to run your mouth about illegals being able to vote and have the same rights as American citizens.
2
@Maggie Please feel free to provide evidence that any illegal immigrants voted.
4
@Maggie
Ah yes... voter fraud... the crime that desperately searchers for virtually non-existent perpetrators. Some folks sure love representative democratic republicanism until those possible representatives belong to a group that can be called "they" or "them". If you want illegalities then fight against voter suppression. If "your" side wins then their election is automatically legitimized. Then again that is only rational and sensible... pragmatic concepts that are sorely lacking in today's society ...much less politicsl discourse.
“You know, comrades,” says Stalin, “that I think in regard to this: I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this — who will count the votes, and how.” “Memoirs of Stalin’s Former Secretary”, Boris Bazhanov, 1992.
18
Thank God there's still some smug white guys out here, who are willing to cheat to get into office. Thanks, George W Bush, for your everlasting legacy.
8
Too little too late. Kemp needs to resign from the campaign elective office for governor. Having robbed the voting bank you do not get to give up being a voting bank robber and all is well.
Jim Crow never died in Georgia. He gave up his white sheets and white T and dress shirts for dark suits and ties and federal, state and local elective office.
10
Clearly, America is a white man's world.
19
@Mike
Google: Lucy McBath + suburban Atlanta's 6th district.
1
@Mike
I have to agree. Unfortunately, there are still too many white voters in our rural areas that are racist. There are towns in North GA that fly the confederate flags in their red pick up truck with a gun rack in the back. They don't vote based on credentials but prejudice. I have lived all over Georgia and left many small beautiful towns due to the backward lifestyle.
1
Kemp should be in jail. Corrupt and pathetic excuse for a public servant.
17
What a creep! Last Sunday he announced the dems in Georgia had committed illegal voting actions w/o giving any proof whatsoever. Now he resigns and his accusations will melt away -- they were only made to boost his poll numbers. Shame on Kemp!
29
That's like closing the refrigerator door after you've eaten all the cake inside. A totally worthless gesture.
29
This article and others from the NYT ought have noted that when Georgia Democrat Secretary of State Cathy Cox ran for governor ion 2006, she did not step down.
When Republican Secretary of State Karen Handel ran for Georgia governor in 2010, she did step down.
10
@Maggie
Stepping down is one thing. Repeated attempts to disenfranchise potential voters for the opposition is really what's at play here. And that has been accomplished, whether or not he now "steps down". His wife's face says it all. Standing next to him your smile would need to be upside down.
5
@Maggie They might have if they have made it past the primaries. I don't remember either of them being accused of doing the things that Kemp did as he tried to suppress the vote.
The new law about "exact match" was not in place during those earlier elections.
If you think that's a bad law you need to point at the Georgia legislature, not the person who was responsible for enforcing that law. By the way, the Georgia legislature is populated with Democrats and Republicans and many non-white people.
1
He is a cheat who fits in nicely with his depraved Trumpian party.
I believe if every vote was actually counted then Abrams would have won by at least 2 points, just as the polls predicted. Here’s hoping for a run-off and justice.
25
He said this two days after the election. That's worth a twofer:
Well, bless his heart; I'm sure he means well.
7
The damage has already been done. He engaged in so much voter suppression for months prior to election day - purging voters from rolls and rejecting tens of thousands of new voter registration applications - and then crippled enough of the precincts on Election Day (many had broken machines that led to wait times of 3 and 4 hours) that he is now confident that he will win. His 11th hour resignation (if we can even call it that) does nothing to restore public confidence. His smirk in the photo is telling - a picture is worth a thousand words.
94
@ATLien He always has that smirk on his face. The whole time, he knew exactly what he was doing and that he was getting away with it.
4
@ATLien
And I don't understand why our governor did not ask him to appoint an interim during the election. President Carter wrote a letter to Kemp and there was a lot of noise but Kemp invited this chaos. I wonder why... reeks of dishonesty.
2
Kemp got himself elected and will make clear to whoever takes over that he will remain victorious. It was not ethical to stay on as Secretary of State during the election; he had a duty to recuse himself.
39
Maybe the Democratic House can do something about this low-life shill! I can't believe how low America has lowered herself under Herr Trump!
66
@Majortrout I hope the new House does look into this. It seems that the GOP can't win elections unless they suppress voters.
10
After systematically stealing the Georgia governorship from a black woman via voter suppression laws, voter file purges, voter registration denials, non-functioning voting machines and various other dirty Jim Crow tricks, Brian Kemp 'gracefully' resigned as the Secretary of Right-Wing Voter Fraud.
A big round of applause for Georgia's neo-Confederate Governor.
Isn't that special.
If American had a functioning Justice Department and real Voting Rights Act, Mr. Kemp would be on his way to federal prison for massive civil rights violations.
RESIST the criminal Republican syndicate and remember in 2020.
405
@Socrates You are so correct in your assessment. I have found every step of the situation in Georgia absolutely conscience-curdling. Kemp is as corrupt as they come, and he and all his cohorts know it, and gloat over the fact that they think they've got it all in the bag, (and probably do, due their nefarious tactics.)
29
Kemp is a cheat. He has been caught enough times that the Abrams campaign was on the lookout and on the offensive.
I wonder how many people were caught unawares going to vote and discovering their names have been removed in his big purge of hundreds of thousands of voters? He has been taken to court before for his exact match ploy. Yes history will remember him as the cheat.
144
As a former resident of NW Georgia it is scary to see the railroading of the election process. #Voter Suppression in Georgia is real! The false information that was spread 2 days before the election by Kemp and his "partner in crime" was transparent and an abusive tactic. Where is the follow up of the FBI investigation? Perhaps Gov Nathan Deal want's to explain this and open up an investigation on Brian Kemp and his deceptive tactics?
80
He could open an investigation, but he'd just get Kris Kobach to run it.
2
What about those machines that changed the votes from democrat to republican? They don't even know how many were effected by the faulty machine because they don't have paper ballot back ups.
They need a RECOUNT ALL of the votes in GA!
91
@Edyee Absolutely! It's mind blowing! I believe Stacy Abrams and her team are smart enough to make sure they will be vindicated. I hope so......
4
@Edyee We need to go back to paper ballots or everyone should vote from home. Both these ballots can be counted that way. Of course, the GOP will fight this because they don't care about our elections.
7
The county officials where that was reported said this was not actually occurring, it was user error.
2
Whoa! Kemp used his position as secretary of state shortly before election day to tilt the table in his direction by initiating an apparently bogus investigation of his opponent's campaign. After receiving the greater number of votes on election day, he now attempts to wipe his slate clean by declaring himself neutral in the process of counting votes to determine whether there will be a runoff. To quote Joseph Welch at another pivotal moment in our history, "Have you left no sense of decency?"
50
@Pete, The answer is "Nope!" while thumbing his nose.
4
Yeah, he doesn't need this office anymore now that he has manipulated the right to vote to benefit himself and fellow Republicans!
57
Maybe he should have refused himself BEFORE the election where he couldn’t have closed polling stations, concocted lies about hacks, etc in order to influence the vote.
57
@Jon Alexander
Kemp doesn't have enough sense to see the chaos and dishonesty will be forthcoming. There was a lot of noise but like Congress- Republicans do nothing. And not even our governor.
4
Stacey Abrams is doing the right thing. Too often in the past, Democrats have failed to insist that all votes be counted. I can't think of another country in the world where winners are announced before all votes are in and properly counted (not to mention the decrepit voting machines still in use or the lack of paper trails). I still regret that Hillary didn't insist on a recount in the three midwestern states that caused her to lose the election. And it's a shame the New York Times has done so little in the past to call attention and help remedy these voting problems.
392
@Writer: The Democrats should have made election reform a major issue a long time ago—at least since the "hanging chads" debacle of 2000. (The fact that they haven't makes me wonder if they want to reserve the right to cheat, just as the Republicans do.)
In any case, we should demand paper ballots only, counted by hand, across the nation. This is what is done in Canada, and it works just fine.
21
@Mark
Problem is it is the states that handle the ballots and all the vote count problematic states have been ruled by Republicans for several years.
2
"Give public confidence to the certification process” ?! by stepping down AFTER committing and overseeing more voter suppression than in any election in recent memory?
Looks like an attempt to whitewash.
90
@Mark
'...even though, quite honestly, it’s being done at the county level.'
Kemp used to point at his baby siblings when his mom asked "Who broke the vase?"
3
History will remember this man for his acts of voter suppression. Any politician who feels they have to wage war on some part of the population, I suppose that would define the Republican Party, will never be remembered for greatness.
What is notable, though, is that the people who keep voting for them will bear the brunt of their need to destabilize people's rights and the public institutions that are a part of everyone's lives.
57
@Suzanne Moniz It is my hope that history will not remember Kemp at all. He is a liar and a cheat and deserves to be relegated to the dustbin of history.
4
@Suzanne Moniz
A GA judge suspended temporarily for this midterm election the "equal match" state law. Thus, any voter whose ballot was in question due to a mismatch of state and/or federal ID documents was able to vote. No one was stopped. Polls were also kept open for any and all who had ID issues as well as any Tuesday polling place locations.
It was a close election that Abrams might well have at least turned into a runoff had she not come out just prior to the election in favor of illegal immigration AND then with urban condescension insulted people who earn a living as farmers...in a heavily agricultural state. How her team let her go out on the campaign trail and say that just just before the midterm election is astonishing. Who knows how many votes it cost her. With the 100,000 vote difference between her and Kemp, she would not have won but she might've gained another 30,000 to bring up her final percentage and send it to a runoff - which she would've still lost. The math was never in her and the Democrats favor.
5
@Maggie Wow, Maggie. You just quoted from an attack ad against her nearly verbatim! Read facts much???
5
It is about time Kemp steps aside in this race, although he is not admitting to the fact that his position tainted the election he participated in.
Abrams should contest this race, as she is fighting for fairness and representation for all the people who voted in Georgia, not just her own candidacy.
69
I await everyone's comments lauding Mr. Kemp for doing the right thing...I won't hold my breath
8
@Arturo closing the door after the horse is gone isn't "the right thing"
50
@Arturo because he did't -
6
@Arturo What "right thing" did Kemp do???? I don't see it.
5
kemp as secretary of state gives me the same special kind of confidence i felt during the last minute fbi investigation of the kavanaugh hearing
103
Talk about a day late and a dollar short, Brian Kemp should have stepped down from his post as Secretary of State of Georgia the moment he tossed his hat in the ring to run for Governor.
Even now, he seems to be pretty sure that he won the election, even though the Associated Press reported weeks ago that his office was thought to be sitting on thousands of voter registration forms that were not being processed, and an independent Voter's Advocacy group protested the election's outcome by demanding a recount.
As yet the results are still too close to call.
This is a race that America should be closely watching.
I know that I am.
236
I’m disgusted with how he is acting. A complete disgrace.
119
We are unfortunately, in the era of Trump, which is not only post-truth but post-democracy.
This is a naked power grab reminiscent of the work of Newt Gingrich in the 90s and James Baker in 2000.
Decent Republicans -- if any exist -- must speak out against the GOP refusal to count legitimate votes.
125
@Dr. J. Decent republicans? I don't think so.
No, they traded in decency for immorality and they all jumped on board.
2
We don't need to count no stinking votes - we won.
11
@APO Actually, in terms of this election, there never was either a desire or need to count votes in Georgia. It was all decided beforehand, just not by the people.
7
@APO
Only one word in your comment is correct "stinks". Reeks of dishonesty. If you were here you would see the chaos and voting polls that were down and didn't work.....
All the votes will be counted. The Abrams campaign has already disingenuously claimed that “perhaps many of those votes will never be found!”, sowing the seeds of doubt and paving their path to the now traditional Democrat simper “stolen election”. Ms Abrams is a great candidate, wonderfully qualified, and will live to fight another day. Don’t sully all of that by belong a sore loser.
5
@skyfiber purging voter rolls is stealing an election
69
@skyfiber As someone who lives in the state, I am thankful that Abrams is bringing the clear conflict of interest and is not letting it drop. Kemp should have followed the lead of previous candidates and stepped down from his role or recused himself from his duties. Across the state, voters reported long lines with limited voting machines and machines that were not working properly (something I experienced personally), not to mention the issues caused by Kemp's push of the exact match policies, which are looking to solve an issue (vote fraud) that happens at an exceedingly low rate at the expense of creating barriers for a much higher rate for legitimate voters. If finding issue with that sounds like being a sore loser to you, that is much more concerning than Abrams' insistence for transparency.
4
@skyfiber
There is every bit of evidence that voter fraud took place, not by voters but by “manipulation”/tactics from Kemp and his cohorts . A full FBI investigation should be initiated. This GA incident is further evidence that a Federal Electoral Office should be established, just as you have in Australia, that is independent and establishes rules and regulations to ensure that elections in this country are fair,democratic and allow all permissible voters to vote without the current suppressive rules that some states enforce. This Electoral Office should also establish fair electoral boundaries to rid us of the politically motivated gerrymandering.
8
Too little too late.
I sincerely hope the total vote count forces a runoff. For Kemp to enter the governor's mansion on the basis of a single election whose vote he suppressed (via multiple means), would be an ethical disgrace.
158
@D Price
The math is not there - no way for Abrams to gain enough votes to force a runoff.
3
As Stacey so astutely pointed out, in a civilized democracy, the guy running for office should not be the guy in charge of how the election is governed.
Any GENTLEMAN would have stepped down and recused himself a long time ago. They are obviously not building them like they used to down there.
100
@rubbernecking
Kemp is no gentleman, but a low-life Republican shill!
32
@rubbernecking
"the guy running for office should not be the guy in charge of how the election is governed"
Why isn't there a law that REQUIRES that he be removed from his position? Try going to a game where the player is also the ref.
6
Too late for public confidence.
53
Like Kavanaugh, Kemp will always be stained by actions that voters will never forget.
182
Kemp IS a stain, it's just a matter of what kind.
2
@Mark. Apparently an awful lot of voters have very short memories. And a certain class of voters are very forgiving of their people's crimes.
5