Local elections officials will now automatically update addresses for voters who move within the same county instead of marking them “inactive,” representing a major victory for voting rights in Georgia. The change comes after a lawsuit filed against Sec. of State Brian Kemp by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Last year, almost 169,000 registered voters were sent notices by the Secretary of State after moving within the county. They were told they had 30 days to respond, otherwise they would be listed as “inactive,” the beginning of a process that could end in their name being removed from the voter rolls.
Although Kemp’s office had to be sued to reverse this backwards policy, he is now taking credit for the change. “Georgia scored another victory for keeping the voter rolls up-to-date and preventing voter fraud,” Kemp said in an emailed statement to WABE.
Just a few weeks prior, Kemp emailed a statement referring to Barack Obama, Stacey Abrams and the ACLU as “leading liberal conspiracy theorists” who are “attacking Georgia’s voting rolls.” But during Kemp’s time in office he has been responsible for a data breach releasing 6.1 million social security numbers, allowing voters to vote in the wrong district, issuing incorrect ballots in a primary election, and perpetuating the targeting and disenfranchisement of black voters.
Through both intent and neglect, Kemp has undermined voting rights for people across the state. We cannot allow him to paint himself as the hero in this important victory, and we certainly can’t allow him to be elected governor.