A civil rights group has filed a federal lawsuit against Virginia election officials after the state's online voter registration system crashed Monday -- the final day to register -- preventing some Virginians from signing up to vote.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on behalf of Kathy and Michael Kern, a Charlottesville couple who say they were unable to register by Monday's deadline after the registration website faced technical issues.
The suit claims that thousands of Virginia residents visited the online voter registration website and found that it was not working.
The suit asks for a court injunction ordering the Virginia Department of Elections and the State Board of Elections to extend the registration deadline by at least three days.
"The refusal to extend the voter registration deadline in Virginia imposes a severe burden on the fundamental right to vote by depriving citizens of that right altogether," the suit says.
State elections commissioner Edgardo Cortes said the deadline is specified in state code, which provides no option for an extension.
