Updated Oct 14, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Virginia's voter registration deadline extended after website crashed on final day

Fadel Allassan

People voting. — Photo: Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images

A judge on Wednesday granted a request from civil rights groups to extend Virginia's voter registration deadline until Oct. 15 after the state's online system crashed on the final day of the registration period, according to Virginia's attorney general.

Driving the news: A mistakenly severed fiber-optic cable shut down much of Virginia's online portal overnight Monday and into the afternoon on Tuesday, according to a tweet from the state Department of Elections and the lawsuit filed by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Advancement Project National Office.

Virginia's Department of Elections said later in the afternoon on Tuesday the issue had been resolved.

The registration deadline will be extended until 11:59pm Thursday.

Gov. Ralph Northam signaled at a press conference that he would support an extension, but under state law, he couldn't personally make that change.

What they're saying: "The commonwealth failed the public and it must grant a significant extension to ensure all Virginians are given an equal opportunity to exercise their fundamental right to vote," said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

"Extending the registration deadline is a common-sense step that can be taken to address the potential disenfranchisement of thousands of eligible people across Virginia."

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Virginia's voter registration deadline extended after website crashed on final day

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