LISTEN: Lawyers for Fair Fight and True the Vote make their cases to an appeals court. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports. 

Polling places are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 12, 2024 for Georgia's presidential preference primary. Voters are urged to visit mvp.sos.ga.gov to confirm their assigned polling locations before heading to the polls.

Lawyers for Fair Fight and True the Vote argued before an appeals court Tuesday.

Credit: GPB / File

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is deciding whether to uphold a lower court ruling that found a conservative voting organization did not violate the Federal Voting Rights Act when it challenged over 360,000 Georgia voter registrations in 2021. 

The case involved a mass voter challenge by the right-leaning group True the Vote. Plaintiffs, including Fair Fight, founded by Stacey Abrams argued the voter challenges were intended to intimidate voters and disproportionately affected voters of color.

Fair Fight attorney Uzoma Nkwonta said the lower court ruled erroneously.

“Even when those individuals were qualified, those challenges had devastating effect," he said, noting that some affected voters were afraid to vote again. 

Jake Evans, the lawyer for True the Vote said there is no evidence they intended to intimidate voters and the ruling should be upheld.

“There was a intent to ensure election integrity is maintained — and that's what the intent was," he said to the panel of three judges.

A district court ruled in favor of Texas-based True the Vote earlier this year. 

The appeals court did not immediately issue a ruling on the case. 

Tags: law  11th Circuit  court of appeals  Georgia  Georgia Politics  Election 2020  Voter Intimidation