Fulton and Columbia counties are among 10 Georgia counties accused of having more registered voters than eligible adult citizens, causing the Washington, D.C.-based Judicial Watch organization yesterday to send notice-of-violation letters to the Peach State and 10 other states. According to the letter that went to Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, there is “strong circumstantial evidence that these … counties are not conducting reasonable voter registration record maintenance as mandated under the [National Voter Registration Act] NVRA.”
Both the NVRA and the federal Help America Vote Act require states to take reasonable steps to maintain accurate voting rolls.
Georgia has 90 days after receiving its letter to address the problem and provide Judicial Watch documentation showing that they have conducted a “statewide effort to conduct a program that reasonably ensures the lists of eligible voters are accurate.” Judicial Watch informed the states that should they fail to take action to correct violations of Section 8 of the NVRA, it would file suit.
Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act requires states to make a reasonable effort to remove the names of ineligible voters from official lists due to “the death of the registrant” or “a change in the residence of the registrant,” and requires states to ensure non-citizens are not registered to vote.
In its notice-of-violation letters, Judicial Watch warns that the failure to maintain accurate, up-to-date voter registration lists “required by federal law and by the expectations of [state] citizens” will “undermine public confidence in the electoral process.”
Judicial Watch asked the states to “conduct or implement a systematic, uniform, nondiscriminatory program to remove from the list of eligible voters the names of persons who have become ineligible to vote by reason of a change of residence, death or a disqualifying criminal conviction.” The states are also asked to remove from voter registration lists “non-citizens who have registered to vote unlawfully.”
