RICHMOND, Va.—The NAACP on Friday resumed efforts to force Virginia to put more voting machines in minority polling places, setting up a court hearing 15 hours before voters head to polls in the battleground state.
The Virginia chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's will return to federal court on Monday afternoon to argue the state is inadequately prepared to handle an enormous voter surge expected Tuesday.
State Republicans plan to oppose the NAACP's request on grounds that altering voting procedures on the eve of the election would be disruptive and could unfairly disadvantage their candidates.
Record turnout is expected as Democrat Barack Obama tries to win 13 electoral votes in state that has backed Republican presidential candidates since 1968. Obama would be the nation's first black president if elected.
The NAACP alleged the state failed to provide enough voting machines to handle the crowds, particularly in majority black precincts. The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Richmond asked for paper ballots to be provided as one option if lines got too long.
More than 436,000 new voters registered since Jan. 1, a 10 percent increase that pushed voter rolls past 5 million for the first time in Virginia, a state of 7.7 million residents. Much of the increase results from the Obama campaign's aggressive registration drive.
At the close of the first fiercely contested presidential race in Virginia in generations, several polls show Obama slightly ahead.
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