Letter to The Honorable Jeff Sessions, Attorney General, and Brian Kemp, Georgia Secretary of State - Congressman Sanford Bishop Statement in Strong Opposition to Voter Suppression Efforts in Randolph County

Letter

Dear Attorney General Sessions and Secretary of State Kemp:

I am writing to express my strong and vehement opposition to the proposal by the Randolph County Board of Elections and Registration to close seven out of nine polling places in the county in the weeks leading up to the November elections. This outrageous proposal is discriminatory and appears to be in clear violation of the federal Voting Rights Act as well as the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. It should and must be immediately rejected so that the citizens of Randolph County are permitted to exercise their sacred and constitutional right to vote in a free and unfettered manner.

As you may be aware, Randolph County is part of Georgia's Second Congressional District, which I have represented in the United States Congress since 1993. The county is over 60% African-American, which is twice the percentage of the entire State of Georgia (32.2%). In fact, one of the polling places in Randolph County that is slated for closure -- Cuthbert Middle School -- serves a 96.7% African-American population.

Randolph County is one of the poorest in the State of Georgia as well. Thirty percent of its population live in poverty and its median income is forty percent lower than the rest of the state. As a result, a higher percentage of people in Randolph County (22.3%) lack vehicles as compared to all Georgia households (6.9%). With the closure of over 75% of the polling places in Randolph County, it is clear who will have to bear the burden of reduced access to the polls. Low-income African-Americans without a car will be forced to walk three-and-a-half hours to reach the new polling places if they want to vote in person on Election Day.

I also am deeply concerned that given the likelihood of high voter turnout in November, particularly due to an African-American woman gubernatorial nominee for the first time in Georgia's history, closing polling places so close to an election is likely to create voter confusion. The polling places targeted for closure were recently used in the primaries and primary run-offs earlier this year. While I strongly support bringing the public buildings in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act -- the so-called justification that Randolph County is providing for eliminating the polling places -- the constitutional right to vote should not be sacrificed.

I urge you to do all that you can to ensure that all Randolph County voters have their voices heard in every election. The right to vote is sacred and must be protected regardless of one's race, religion, gender, or creed. Randolph County's proposal to shut down 75% of polling places must be rejected.

With kind regards, I am

Sincerely,

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