September 17, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

Media contact: Ana Maria Rosato [email protected]

ATHENS, GA - Today was a victory for democracy and access to the ballot box in Athens. After the University of Georgia released a statement yesterday indicating an inability to host an Early Voting site as they have in recent elections, UGA students and student organizations, the Athens community, and statewide organizations committed to ballot access sprang into action both publicly and behind the scenes. As a result, UGA has now agreed to host an Early Voting site at Stegeman Coliseum.

Our organizations are committed to protecting the sacred right to vote for UGA students and all Georgians. We're glad that our state's flagship university will be part of the effort to increase voting among the Athens community. We also hope our swift and effective response to this initial challenge will dissuade other institutions from efforts to limit voting access this year.

A functioning democracy requires that barriers to voting not prevent any eligible voter from casting their ballot. The wide availability of Early Voting and Absentee Voting-by-mail are both critical ingredients in a safe and accessible process for all.

We encourage all UGA students, as well as other members of the Athens community, to take advantage of whichever voting method works best for them to make their voices heard, and we’re pleased and relieved that the UGA Campus will again be part of this process.

UGA students who wish to register to vote, or to change their registration to their Athens address, can do so at https://registertovote.sos.ga.gov/ until October 5th. Students can stay up to date on voting in Athens by visiting www.ugavotes.com.

Marshall Berton
UGA Votes Executive Director

Asim Ahmed
UGA Student Body President

Christopher Bruce
Political Director, ACLU of Georgia

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