Sec. of State Raffensperger Bypasses Opportunity for Public Comments & Issues Directive on Voter Registration Residency Determinations That Threatens to Disenfranchise Young, Low-Income Voters
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 23, 2020
CONTACT INFORMATION
James C. Woo
404.585.8446 x 104
jwoo@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Atlanta, GA — Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta (Advancing Justice-Atlanta) stands with members of the Dear Georgia, It’s Time campaign and calls for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to provide clear and concise guidance on voter registration residency determination that does not disenfranchise Georgia voters. Early yesterday morning the State Election Board shared the agenda for a special meeting scheduled late Friday to discuss emergency proposed rules on voter registration, absentee dropboxes, and residency determination. Several hours later and only after advocates pushed to see the proposed rules text, did the State Election Board release them to the public. Early this morning, the State Elections Board began the special meeting with an announcement that the proposed rule on voter registration residency determination was being issued as a bulletin, and eliminated the opportunity for the public to comment on the item.
“Georgia’s voters have done their job. Under the extreme circumstances of an ongoing pandemic they turned out in record numbers to vote. Their votes have been counted, recounted, and will soon be counted a third time,” said Stephanie Cho, Executive Director of Advancing Justice-Atlanta. “Instead of taking steps to protect Georgia’s voters ahead of the January runoff elections by making voting more accessible, the Secretary of State issued a bulletin that threatens to disenfranchise low-income, people of color, students and other young people from voting.”
The bulletin singles out and elevates factors related to a person’s interaction with the Department of Driver Services to determine whether a prospective voter meets residency requirements for registration. The bulletin threatens to disenfranchise Georgians who don’t own a car or otherwise have reason to spend the time and money to obtain a driver’s license. The law already requires county registrars to determine the residency of voters based on a number of factors enumerated in O.C.G.A. § 21-2-217.
It is imperative for the Secretary of State and State Elections Board to be clear on the application of the statute and work with county registrars to ensure all voters are protected and able to cast their votes.
The Secretary of State and State Election Board must also consider the Dear Georgia coalition’s renewed call to address serious flaws that threaten the January runoff elections. The Dear Georgia coalition represents more than 30 civil rights and voting rights organizations. Its renewed call includes:
Extended early voting period, including at minimum 1 mandated weekend, so that voters can have an adequate opportunity to safely cast their ballot.
Prioritize language access by providing sample ballots in Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Bengali, Hindi and Urdu on the Secretary of State website and statewide at polling locations.
Mandate counties have at least one secure dropbox per 15,000 voters.
To see the full letter please visit (https://www.advancingjustice-atlanta.org/news/request-for-urgent-action-for-runoffs)
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is the first nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities in Georgia and the Southeast. For more information about Advancing Justice-Atlanta, visit https://advancingjustice-atlanta.org.
