'Accidentally' cut cable shuts down Virginia online voter registration - News Today

A severed fiber optic cable shut down Virginia's online voter registration system for several hours Tuesday, the last day to register before the November general election.The Virginia Department of Elections said in statement on Twitter that a 'fiber cut' affected connectivity for multiple agencies, including the department's citizen portal and registrar's offices. , according to the state's information technology agency.Six hours later, the Department of Elections issued a statement saying the portal was back online. But the fallout already included threats of legal action and concern that voters were being disenfranchised at a crucial moment. +6 img id="i-7bc9d44a09cb343e" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/10/..." height="457" width="634" alt="" class="blkBorder img-share" / Copy link to paste in your message img id="i-a85e4530a302be04" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/10/..." height="287" width="634" alt="" class="blkBorder img-share" / Copy link to paste in your message img id="i-66304f30030e7260" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/10/..." height="132" width="634" alt="" class="blkBorder img-share" / Copy link to paste in your message Voting advocates said the accident couldn't have come at a worse time and lambasted state officials for the technological failure. The day of the deadline is when many Virginians decide to register, particularly after being reminded on social media and in the news.The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Advancement Project filed a lawsuit on Tuesday arguing that the state's voter registration deadline should be extended for 48 hours, according to committee spokesman Ian Weiner. And Democratic members of Virginia's congressional delegation had called for a 72-hour extension.U.S. Reps. Don Beyer, Gerry Connolly and Jennifer Wexton said in a statement that they 'hope the courts will swiftly grant such an extension' and account for the time it will take to inform the public of a new deadline.. But he said it appears that only the courts have the ability to change it.Northam, a Democrat, said the state did not have a backup plan for this particular cable and the episode shows the need for the state to continue its efforts at creating a secure network.'Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do,' Northam said. Share this article Share 1k shares +6 img id="i-5bb3efe2875471ff" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/10/..." height="450" width="306" alt="U.S. Rep. Don Beyer" class="blkBorder