The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ordered Secretary of State Brian Kemp to allow voters who were wrongly flagged as non-citizens to be allowed to cast regular ballots.
Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, on behalf of a coalition of civil rights groups, challenged Georgia’s exact match law in federal court and filed a request for emergency relief before the November 6, 2018 Election.
Georgia’s flawed voter registration system flagged thousands of newly registered citizens as non-citizens – even when registrants presented proof when they registered to vote. The system lead to confusion among eligible voters and election officials.
The state is now required to educate all county registrars, deputy registrars and poll managers on how to verify citizenship to ensure that all eligible voters are able to exercise their right to vote. The state is also required to update the Secretary of State’s website with a list of acceptable documentation to prove citizenship to inform citizens on what they will need to bring with them on Election Day.
This is a major victory for Georgia voters. The court clearly recognized the harm that the state’s flawed ‘exact match’ system caused voters, particularly minorities.
CLC and our partners still have more work to do in Georgia. Our case against the state’s system is still ongoing.
Learn more about Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda v. Kemp.