Virginia's voter registration deadline extended for 48 hours after wire cut knocked out website
Virginians will have an extra 48 hours to register to vote in the upcoming general election. A judge granted the state's request to extend the deadline, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday, until Thursday evening, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said Wednesday.
On Tuesday, an accidentally severed fiber optic cable — which was reportedly cut during a roadside utilities project — shut down several state government websites, including those that were part of the online voter registration system, causing problems for thousands of potential voters and many registrar's offices across the state for several hours.
A voting rights group sued for the extension, but the Virginia officials who were the defendants in the case agreed adding more time was necessary to make up for the mishap.
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