The Dangers of Playing with Matches
Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002 to impose fair and more uniform standards for state election administration, including provisions to establish and maintain statewide voter registration databases.
However, some states have misinterpreted the intent of database maintenance prodcedures outlined in HAVA and passed onerous “No Match, No Vote” laws. Under such statutes, if a state is unable to match the information on a voter’s registration application with information in an existing government database, the application is denied outright.
Research shows that matching voter data with other government databases is an unreliable, error-laden process, and that conditioning the right to vote on such a flawed system will inevitably disenfranchise eligible citizens.
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Voting Advocates Announce a Settlement of “Exact Match” Lawsuit in Georgia
The settlement reinstates eligible voters wrongfully removed from the rolls, and prevents the rejection of future registration applications for database matching errors. Read more
Georgia Says It Will Allow Tens of Thousands of Previously-Rejected Voters to Cast Ballots This November
Tens of thousands of eligible Georgia voters whose voter registrations had been canceled or were at risk of being canceled will be able to cast a ballot this November, according to a letter filed with a federal court. Read more
Voting Rights Advocates File New Federal Voting Rights Lawsuit to Protect Voters of Color in the State of Georgia
Project Vote and partners filed a federal lawsuit today to protect voters of color in Georgia from discriminatory registration verification process. Read more
Voting Rights Proposals Could Affect 2016 Elections
Since January, lawmakers on the state and federal levels have introduced over 180 bills that would change state and federal voting laws. Read more
Statement Regarding Appellate Court Ruling that Florida’s No Match
Advancement Project, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, and Project Vote are disappointed with a ruling in a Florida voting case issued yesterday from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, but made clear their determination to press forward with the lawsuit. Read more
Florida’s Latest Voter Suppression Scheme Thwarted
Today, Advancement Project, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, and Project Vote won a preliminary injunction that blocks a Florida state law prohibiting applicants from registering to vote if the state cannot match or otherwise validate the driver’s license or Social Security number on a registration form. Read more
Project Vote Challenges FL Voter Suppression Law That Keeps Thousands of Voters Off The Rolls
Today voting rights advocates filed suit in a US District Court to strike down a statewide election law that could disenfranchise tens of thousands of eligible citizens from registering and voting in the 2008 elections. Read more