USA Today: ‘Complete catastrophe’: Georgia primary voting blasted for long lines, malfunctioning equipment

Voting rights groups called problems with Georgia’s voting Tuesday “a complete catastrophe” that is ominous for November after advocates suggested preparations since January.

Some voters waited up to seven hours to cast ballots, while others were turned away without being sure their provisional ballots would be counted. The number of polling places was dramatically reduced. Voters reported problems with poll workers unable to operate voting equipment. …

The advocacy group Common Cause and the Brennan Center wrote to Georgia election officials Jan. 13 urging preparations for equipment malfunctions, registration database errors and other failures that could deny voters their right to be counted.

The groups’ recommendations included having paper ballots on hand for equipment problems during peak hours, having provisional ballots on hand and providing at least one voting booth at polling places for every 250 voters.

“Thousands of Georgians were denied the right to vote,” said Aunna Dennis, executive director of Common Cause of Georgia. “Our warnings were not heeded.”

The recommendations followed problems in 2018 when voters waited two to three hours because of inoperable machines coupled with historic turnout. A study by the Brennan Center found that blacks and Hispanics waited 45% longer than whites to vote in 2018.