Overseas blocked from Ga. voter sites

Georgia election officials are blocking computers from outside the United States from viewing voter registration websites because of security concerns.

Anyone trying to access the state’s online voter registration system or My Voter Page from an international Internet address will see a message saying “Access Denied,” along with contact information for assistance.

The sites were removed based on advice from private security vendors and the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center, which provides cyber threat monitoring for governments, said Candice Broce, a spokeswoman for Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

Voters living overseas, including those in the military, can still request absentee ballots and voter registration applications online.

For voters who want to receive voting materials online, the My Voter Page will be opened for international access from Sept. 18 to Election Day, a period set in state law for election officials to deliver electronic ballots to overseas voters, Broce said.

The website for the Secretary of State’s Office provides phone numbers and an online contact form for overseas voters who have questions. Most of the site is still available for any visitor.

Broce said she couldn’t provide details about what security reasons caused the Secretary of State’s Office to deter international web traffic.

Limitations on non-U.S. web traffic were implemented last year, she said.