- Title: Trump supporters in Georgia say, 'He cares about us'
- Date: 5th November 2018
- Summary: WIDE OF U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WALKING OUT ON STAGE
- Embargoed: 19th November 2018 06:07
- Keywords: Donald Trump Republican suporters Georgia election Governor gubenatorial
- Location: MACON, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES
- City: MACON, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA004958AYBR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: President Donald Trump's supporters in Georgia say "he's the person that we needed," at a rally in Macon on Sunday (November 4).
"He cares about us. He cares about Georgia. He cares about everyone in the United States. He's the person that we needed," Billie Robinson said.
They also commended the president on his support for Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp who is in a close race with Democrat Stacey Abrams, who is vying to become the United States' first black female governor.
Kemp, who also oversees the state's elections, accused Democrats on Sunday of trying to hack voter registration systems, a move analysts said highlighted the inherent conflict between his twin roles.
The contest has already become a flashpoint for allegations of voter suppression.
Kemp drew more national attention to the contest early on Sunday with a statement making the hacking allegation but offering no supporting evidence. State Democratic Party officials quickly denied the charge.
They called it an abuse of power two days before Tuesday's (November 6) elections when Americans will determine which party controls the U.S. Congress as well as pick governors in 36 states including Georgia.
Voter suppression allegations became an issue in the campaign partly because of a state law requiring an exact match of voters' names on ID cards and rolls, down to hyphens. Two federal courts on Friday (November 2) issued rulings rejecting some of Kemp's election enforcement moves.
Kemp's supporters have downplayed the allegations of voter suppression, "I think it's all fake... you gotta do it the proper way," said of "Regina Danowski said.
Kemp's office said in a statement on Sunday it launched the investigation late on Saturday (November 3) and that it had notified the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI.
It was not the first time that Kemp alleged that Georgia's voting systems had been hacked.
In 2016, he said a DHS computer made an unsuccessful attempt to breach the firewall guarding Georgia's voter data. He complained on Facebook at the time that the agency had "been less than forthcoming" in responding to his allegation.
The DHS inspector general in June 2017 said Kemp's complaint was without merit.
A DHS official said in an email that the department was aware of the latest allegation. The official declined to say if the agency was investigating.
The FBI declined to comment.
Democrats rejected Kemp's charge. They contend he has been lax on securing voter data and that his office previously improperly disclosed private information on 6 million Georgians.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, urged Kemp last month to step down from his election oversight role, saying keeping it while campaigning "runs counter to the most fundamental principle of democratic elections."
Kemp has refused to step down and has said he is fairly applying Georgia's laws. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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