Mar 6, 2019

House Democrats probing Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp for voter suppression

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Elijah Cummings. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

House Democratic leaders asked Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and the state’s top election official on Wednesday to turn over documents relating to last year’s midterm election as part of an investigation into alleged voting irregularities.

Why it matters: Kemp pulled off a narrow victory over Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams in the 2018 midterms and came under fire for overseeing his own election as secretary of state. The fiercely contested gubernatorial race was clouded by allegations of voter suppression after Kemp’s office purged hundreds of thousands of voters from the rolls, placed tens of thousands of registrations on hold and oversaw a chaotic voting process on Election Day.

Details: Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger have until March 20 to submit documents relating to:

  • The cancellation registrations of inactive voters (about 1.4 million reportedly removed since 2012).
  • The tens of thousands of registration applications on hold.
  • The shuttering of more than 200 precincts since 2012.
  • Kemp’s 11th-hour investigation into the Democratic Party of Georgia for an alleged “failed” attempt to hack into the state’s voter registration system.

Go deeper: Report finds protections for minority voters have plunged since 2013

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Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

U.S. coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios. This graphic includes "probable deaths" that New York City began reporting on April 14.

The CDC is warning of potentially "aggressive rodent behavior" amid a rise in reports of rat activity in several areas, as the animals search further for food while Americans stay home more during the coronavirus pandemic.

By the numbers: More than 97,700 people have died from COVID-19 and over 1.6 million have tested positive in the U.S. Over 366,700 Americans have recovered and more than 14.1 million tests have been conducted.

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World coronavirus updates

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Japan's economy minister outlined plans on Monday to end the nationwide state of emergency as the number of new novel coronavirus cases continues to decline to fewer than 50 a day, per Bloomberg. Japan has reported 16,550 cases and 820 deaths.

By the numbers: Over 5.4 million people have tested positive for the virus as of Monday, and more than 2.1 million have recovered. The U.S. has reported the most cases in the world (over 1.6 million from 13.7 million tests). The U.K. is reporting over 36,800 deaths from the coronavirus — the most fatalities outside the U.S.

Go deeper (2 min. read)ArrowUpdated 4 hours ago - Health