Stacey Abrams: Congress launches voter suppression investigation in Georgia, demanding answers from Brian Kemp

Investigation arrives after thousands of voters described voting issues during 2018 midterms

The House of Representatives’ oversight committee has demanded a trove of documents from Georgia’s governor and secretary of state after launching a probe into voter suppression issues reported during the 2018 midterm elections.

The committee alerted Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger about the new investigations in letters sent on Wednesday, saying it was “investigating recent reports of serious problems with voter registration, voter access and other matters affecting the ability of people in Georgia to exercise their right to vote”.

The letters ask both men for extensive information concerning those allegations.

The House committee is now under control of the Democratic Party. Mr Kemp and Mr Raffensperger are Republicans.

Mr Kemp served as the state’s chief election officer while he ran for governor.

Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams has alleged he mismanaged the election, an allegation the new governor vehemently denies.

A nonprofit group founded by Ms Abrams last week released over 200 sworn statements gathered as part of an ongoing legal challenge to the way the state’s elections are run.

They included statements from Georgia voters who experienced long lines, last-minute polling place changes, missing or incorrect voter registration records and malfunctioning machines, among other issues.

Mr Kemp brushed off the new investigation on Wednesday, saying Democrats need to stop “playing politics”.

Mr Reffensperger said in a statement that he “looks forward to an open dialogue and a thorough process.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report