County fires elections consultant ahead of vote to close precincts

RANDOLPH COUNTY, Ga. — A south Georgia county has ended its contract with an elections consultant who made a controversial proposal to close seven of nine polling places just three months from the general election.

Channel 2 political reporter Richard Elliot went to Randolph County, where he found a lot of people hadn't heard of the controversy.

The issue has become much bigger outside of south Georgia, because both sides are accusing the other of playing politics with this.

The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus condemned the proposal on Thursday, saying Randolph County has a population about 60 percent African-American residents.

“Closing seven polling places is not right in any way or any fashion that you look at it,” said state Rep. Erica Thomas, D-Cobb County, a member of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.

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Randolph County hired elections consultant Mike Malone after their own supervisor left.

Malone, who donated $250 to Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s gubernatorial campaign, recommended closing seven of nine precincts to save the county money because he claimed they weren’t Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, a violation of federal law.

Elliot looked at the stats, which showed five of those precincts on the proposed closure list actually voted for Donald Trump in 2016, though the county as a whole went for Hillary Clinton.

Critics condemned the proposal as an attempt to suppress African-American voters and many blamed Kemp.

Elliot spoke with Kemp about it Wednesday. Kemp pointed out that the secretary of state’s office has no control over what local elections boards do.

Kemp also pointed out that his office and his campaign staunchly oppose the proposed closings. He said he thinks this is more about election year politics than anything else.

“This is a local issue that the county needs to deal with and again, the press is falling in the trap of the liberals and the Democrats and quite honestly, the national media continuing to badger this story which I had nothing to do with,” Kemp said.

The Randolph County elections board is scheduled to vote at 8 a.m. Friday on the proposal to consolidate precincts.

Cox Media Group