The fight to elect Jon Ossoff in next month’s special election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District is also a fight that could help the state’s Democrats build for the future. More than 5,500 voters have been registered since a federal judge ordered the state to allow new registrations until May 21, 30 days before the June 20 runoff election and two months after the deadline the state had tried to impose. Though the deadline has passed, the final tally will grow:
The total includes two types of voter: the newly registered, plus so-called “transfer” applications — already registered Georgia voters who moved into the district after March 20, when the registration period originally closed.
Several thousand additional applications are still pending, although all three counties that have areas that fall within the 6th District — Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton — have been working overtime to process them ahead of the hotly contested June 20 runoff between Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff.
The next task is making sure those new registrants follow through and vote. In a close election—and polls have showed this to be a close election—a couple thousand new voters could make the difference. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will be adding to the overall effort with a newly announced $2 million that includes money for outreach to African American voters.
Absentee voting by mail is underway and in-person early voting begins on May 30.
Can you chip in $1 to help power Jon Ossoff's campaign over the final weeks?