Story highlights
NEW: "Liberal groups" need to stop trying to change rules, Georgia spokeswoman says
Some 500,000 coastal Georgians were ordered to evacuate before hurricane
Lawsuit: "Tens of thousands" may have lost ability to vote in presidential election
(CNN) —
When Hurricane Matthew struck the United States this month, the deadly storm forced massive evacuations near the end of voter registration for the upcoming presidential election.
Some Southern states extended their deadlines to accommodate residents who may have been prevented from registering to vote because of the storm. Georgia, where state officials called upon more than half a million residents to evacuate coastal areas, did not extend the voter registration deadline.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit late Monday against Georgia officials for failing to extend the state’s voter registration period.
“Thousands of Georgians will be prevented from participating in the November election,” Kathleen Burch, interim counsel for the ACLU of Georgia, said in a statement. “This is unethical and illegal.”
The lawsuit accuses Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and Secretary of State Brian Kemp of acting in violation of the Constitution, the Voting Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act.
It also claims the state’s refusal to extend the deadline discriminates against African Americans, who tend to vote for Democrats. Both Deal and Kemp are Republicans.
Deal’s office declined to comment and referred CNN to Kemp’s office.
“These liberal groups need to stop trying to change the rules so late in the game and let county officials move forward with early voting and issuing absentee ballots, both of which are already ongoing,” Kemp spokeswoman Candice Broce said in an email.
’Affront to the democratic process’
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Rainier Ehrhardt/AP
People wade through floodwaters with a boat in Nichols, South Carolina, on Monday, October 10. Hurricane Matthew caused flooding and damage in the Southeast -- from Florida to North Carolina -- after slamming Haiti and other countries in the Caribbean.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Joe Burbank/AP
Workers repair downed power lines in Daytona Beach, Florida, on October 10.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Rescue teams maneuver through floodwaters in Lumberton, North Carolina, on October 10. President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in North Carolina and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Floodwaters inundate a home in Lumberton on October 10.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Rainier Ehrhardt/AP
Floodwaters surround a house in Nichols, South Carolina, on October 10.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Rainier Ehrhardt/AP
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley checks flooding near Nichols on October 10.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Rainier Ehrhardt/AP
Floodwaters surround power lines near Nichols on October 10.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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David Goldman/AP
Without power in the hurricane's aftermath, Missy Zinc shines a light so her husband, Shawn, can prepare steaks to grill in Hilton Head, South Carolina, on Sunday, October 9.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Chuck Liddy/AP
Anthony Writebol, left, and his cousin Melissa Hill paddle past a stranded tractor-trailer in Lumberton on October 9.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Andrew Craft/The Fayetteville Observer/AP
A man clings to a road sign after trying to swim out to help a stranded truck driver in Hope Mills, North Carolina, on October 9. Both were rescued.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Chris Seward/AP
People stop and take pictures of Highway 58, which was flooded in Nashville, North Carolina, on October 9.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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David Goldman/AP
Boats are pushed up among twisted docks in Hilton Head on October 9.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Chris Seward/AP
Rescue workers help several dogs that were trapped in homes in Pinetops, North Carolina, on October 9.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Travis Long/AP
A section of Wayne Memorial Drive was washed out in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Brian Blanco/Getty Images
John Tweedy wades into the swift-moving floodwaters surrounding his business in McClellanville, South Carolina, on Saturday, October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Stephen B. Morton/AP
A woman who gave her name only as Valerie walks along flooded President Street after leaving her homeless camp in Savannah, Georgia, on October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Charlie Riedel/AP
Volunteers clear debris from from a pool at a condominium complex in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, on October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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David Goldman/AP
A police officer steps through the remnants of a home leveled by Hurricane Matthew in the tiny beach community of Edisto Beach, South Carolina, on October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
PHOTO:
David Goldman/AP
A downed tree and power lines block a road on Georgia's St. Simons Island on October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Gerry Broome/AP
A woman fights the wind in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Eric Gay/AP
Parts of Highway A1A in Flagler Beach, Florida, were washed away by Hurricane Matthew on Friday, October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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John Bazemore/AP
Water flows over a seawall and fills the streets of St. Augustine, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Brian Blanco/Getty Images
Barbara Hearst tapes her storm shutters as Hurricane Matthew nears Charleston, South Carolina, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Mic Smith/AP
Adam and Alec Selent watch waves crash over a retainer wall at the Ocean Club condominiums in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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James McEntee/ Verbatim/CNN
A damaged boat sits partially submerged on the intercoastal waterway in Melbourne, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images
A police officer helps persuade a woman to board a bus and evacuate Savannah, Georgia, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Stephen B. Morton/AP
Preston Payne tries to hold his umbrella on Georgia's Tybee Island on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Heavy waves pound boat docks in Cocoa Beach, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Mark Wilson/Getty Images
A women helps a dog walk through floodwaters in Port Orange, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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James McEntee/ Verbatim for CNN
Damage in Cocoa Beach.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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John Bazemore/AP
Waves crash against a bridge in St. Augustine, Florida.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Charlie Riedel/AP
A car drives past a downed tree as the hurricane moves through Daytona Beach, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Wilfredo Lee/AP
A billboard canvas flaps in the wind after Hurricane Matthew passed North Palm Beach, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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CRISTOBAL HERRERA/EPA
A woman inspects her damaged car under a tree in Fort Pierce, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Mark Wilson/Getty Images
A space shuttle model stands near some downed trees after Hurricane Matthew passed by Cocoa Beach.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Chris O'Meara/AP
A woman uses her phone under a battery-operated lantern at a hotel in Titusville, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Palm trees on Cocoa Beach sway in the wind on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via USA TODAY NETWORK/SIPA
Firefighters respond to a pre-dawn house fire in Satellite Beach, Florida, that was possibly caused by a downed power line on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
PHOTO:
Craig Rubadoux/Florida Today via AP
Heavy rain billows in front of Exploration Tower in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
PHOTO:
James McEntee/Verbatim for CNN
People stand on a beach in Broward County, Florida, as the storm approached the coast on Thursday, October 6.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
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Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A police officer walks along the beach in Singer Island, Florida, on October 6.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
PHOTO:
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Kevin Forde and John Haughey put plywood on a Miami Beach window on October 6.