With the Georgia gubernatorial race likely headed toward a runoff after a day of dysfunctional voting procedures, Democrat Stacey Abrams said she isn’t done fighting.
In a fiery speech to supporters early Wednesday morning, Abrams said she would make sure “every vote is counted.”
“Votes remain to be counted,” the Democrat said. “There are voices remaining to be heard... We believe our chance for a stronger Georgia is just within reach.”
She continued: “I promise you tonight we’re going to make sure that every vote is counted.”
The race was deemed too close to call early Wednesday, with Abrams trailing behind Republican Brian Kemp by just a few percentage points.
Candidates in Georgia must get at least 50 percent of the vote to win outright. And though Kemp held a several-point lead over Abrams, the Democrat’s campaign said it expected the election would head to a runoff. In that event, voters would have to return to the polls on Dec. 4.
Georgia voters confronted severely dysfunctional polls in many parts of the state on Tuesday. Multiple majority-black districts experienced technical difficulties with voting machines, including a lack of power cords. And voters reported lines with waits up to five hours and other obstacles that some attributed to voter suppression efforts. As a result, the state had to keep polling locations open late.
“In Georgia, civil rights has always been an act of will and a battle for our souls,” Abrams told her supporters on Wednesday morning. “Democracy only works when we work for it, when we fight for it, and, apparently today, when we stand in line for hours to meet it at the ballot box.”
The Democrat assured her voters that she would fight to make sure their voices were heard.
“When you chose me as your nominee, I made you a vow,” Abrams said. “In our Georgia, no one would be unseen, no one is unheard. But we know a vow takes effort. Reaching out, reaching across is hard work… but hard work is in our bones.”
Sarah Ruiz-Grossman contributed to this report.