The Midterms: Republican official orders probe into his opponents - two days before election

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp today announced an "investigation into the Democratic Party of Georgia" over a "failed attempt to hack the state's voter registration system" - two days before an election in which he is competing against Democrat Stacey Abrams to become governor.

The announcement, which contained no details on the alleged "cyber crimes" that it suggests state Democrats were involved in, was immediately condemned as a political ploy by Democrats and some commentators, who believe Kemp should not oversee an election in which he is competing.

"Brian Kemp's scurrilous claims are 100 per cent false, and this so-called investigation was unknown to the Democratic Party of Georgia until a campaign operative in Kemp's official office released a statement this morning," Rebecca DeHart, executive director of the state Democratic Party, wrote in a statement to reporters. "This is yet another example of abuse of power by an unethical Secretary of State."

Kemp's office has not said when the alleged voter registration hack attempt occurred or revealed any details about the nature of the attack.

The deadline to register to vote in Wednesday's election passed early last month. The investigation was launched yesterday, according to Kemp's office, and was made public today.

The headline "AFTER FAILED HACKING ATTEMPT, SOS LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO GEORGIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY" sat front-and-centre on the secretary of state's government website - directly beneath a voter's guide to polling locations.

"While we cannot comment on the specifics of an ongoing investigation, I can confirm that the Democratic Party of Georgia is under investigation for possible cyber crimes," Kemp's press secretary, Candice Broce, was quoted saying in the statement. "We can also confirm that no personal data was breached and our system remains secure."

The office said it had contacted the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security about the hacking attempt. The FBI could not be immediately reached for information. A DHS spokeswoman said in an emailed statement, "The State of Georgia has notified us of this issue. We defer to the State for further details."

Abrams, who is polling almost neck-and-neck with Kemp, told CNN that she had been unaware of her opponent's investigation into her party.

"He is desperate to turn the conversation away from his failures, from his refusal to honour his commitments, and from the fact that he's part of a nationwide system of voter suppression," she said.