Black Students Targeted as Part of ‘Unauthorized’ Voter Registration Scheme at Georgia University

ksu-1Black students at Kennesaw State University may be the target of a voter registration scheme meant to keep them from being able to vote in the upcoming November election.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, university students have noticed the sudden presence of several clipboard-wielding operatives who claim they are on campus to register students to vote.

KSU Dean of Students Michael Sanseviro issued a warning Tuesday morning, alerting students to the “unauthorized individuals” roaming around campus. The so-called “registrars” are not permitted to be at the school.

Sanseviro added that the individuals may be looking to target “particular student populations.” That particular population happens to be Black students, according to information gained from an unnamed student tipster by the AJC. The student said the individuals behind the operation are promising to register Black students and then not following through.

“You don’t know who you can and who you can’t trust,” student Kamsy Osy-Odife told WSB-TV.

Dean Sanseviro said this isn’t the first time the university has dealt with fraudulent voter registration activity.

“We have had students in the past not be able to vote on election day because they completed a form with an unauthorized person and were never properly registered,” Sanseviro wrote. “We are committed to ensuring all eligible KSU students have the proper access and opportunity to participate in the democratic process.”

According to school officials, university-sanctioned voter registration drives are scheduled to take place on Sept. 21 and 27. Officials are also urging students who may have filled out one of the forms from the clipboard people to complete a new registration form online, WSB-TV reports. This way, students can ensure that their vote will count.

“Especially with the candidates that we have, I want to make sure my vote is going to the right place and not anywhere else,” student Michael Gitonga said.

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