Georgia to cut nearly 480,000 names from voter rolls
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Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger plans to remove nearly 480,000 names from Georgia's voter rolls before the end of summer.
Why it matters: Purges are necessary maintenance to secure the integrity of elections and use reputable government data to create the removal list, proponents like Raffensperger argue.
Yes, but: Critics like the Brennan Center for Justice agree that the rolls should be accurate. But they say the deletions too often remove eligible voters — particularly young and minority voters or people who move frequently.
How it works: Raffensperger is sending cancellation mailers to 477,883 registered "inactive" voters, meaning they did not cast a ballot for both the 2022 and 2024 general elections.
- Those voters, he said in a press release, have already received letters notifying them of their inactive status.
Voters with pending cancellations have 40 days to update their registration by using the My Voter Page, completing and returning a provided postcard, or submitting a new voter registration application.
What they're saying: "Georgia's voter rolls are the cleanest in the nation thanks to the diligent partnerships we've made to secure our elections," Raffensperger said.
- "Clean voter rolls mean clean elections. My promise to Georgia voters is elections that are free, fair, and fast – and we're doing just that."
The other side: Critics of Georgia's "use it or lose it" voter registration rules, which were upheld 5-4 by the U.S. Supreme Court shortly before the 2018 midterms, say the restrictions punish people for not doing something.
- According to American Public Media, then-Secretary of State Brian Kemp's more than 500,000-voter purge the previous year booted tens of thousands of eligible voters.
By the numbers: According to the secretary of state's office, the list of voters now facing removal includes:
- 180,473 people who moved out of state, according to the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)
- 87,027 voters who filed a change of address, according to the U.S. Postal Service
- 105,848 people who have not cast a ballot, updated their registration or responded to mail from election officials
- 104,535 records of people whose mail from county election officials was returned undeliverable
Zoom out: Raffensperger is also informing people who use a P.O. box or business as their voter registration address to update their records with a residential address or get kicked off the voter roll.
The bottom line: The AJC has created a search tool to see if your name is on the list.
- Even if it's not, there's never a bad time to check your voter registration.