The fight over Georgia’s proposed voter verification system continues, with both the state and civil rights groups filing suit over the matter. We’ve kept you up-to-date on the issue, which concerns Georgia’s “citizen checking” list maintenance procedure that was struck down as discriminatory by the Department of Justice. Now, the state of Georgia has filed a lawsuit seeking to obtain preclearance for a second time from the Justice Department under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
According to Secretary of State Brian Kemp, the state must enact the voter verification system in order to comply with the Help America Vote Act, which requires states to check the information of first-time registrants against state and federal databases. Though Georgia officials call the DOJ’s refusal to grant preclearance unjustified and have criticized the decision as a partisan one, the fact remains that the voter verification system has a discriminatory impact on minorities and can mistakenly prevent otherwise eligible citizens from voting. Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker refused to file the suit, prompting Governor Sonny Perdue to appoint Anne Lewis, a private attorney, as special attorney general to represent the state.
A coalition of civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, filed suit on behalf of a naturalized citizen who was barred from voting because a database said he was not a citizen. The groups hope the court will issue a permanent injunction against the voter verification system.
We will continue to follow this issue as the cases progress.
Billy Scott is a legal intern with Project Vote.