Secretary of State Kemp Announces Filing of Federal Lawsuit for Approval of Citizenship Verification Process

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced today that the State of Georgia has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The State is seeking preclearance of Act 143 of the 2009 Georgia General Assembly and its attendant regulations, requiring new voter registration applicants to provide evidence of United States citizenship with their voter registration applications. Act 143 is also known as Senate Bill 86.

Act 143 was signed into law by Governor Perdue on May 5, 2009 and requires those registering to vote to submit one of several forms of evidence of United States citizenship with their applications. Among the several forms of acceptable identification, applicants may use a Georgia driver's license number or identification card number, birth certificate, U.S. passport, U.S. naturalization documents or alien registration number, or a copy of a driver's license or identification card from any state whose cards comply with the requirements of the federal REAL ID Act of 2005.

Secretary Kemp stated, “Act 143 streamlines Georgia's voter registration processes by requiring first-time applicants to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship with their applications. With the voter roll protections of Act 143 in place, Georgia will serve as a model for election security and integrity.”

Under federal law, Georgia must obtain federal preclearance of any change affecting voting by filing suit in federal court or by obtaining administrative approval through the DOJ. In June, the State filed a lawsuit against the DOJ to obtain preclearance of its Help America Vote Act voter verification process, which verifies information obtained from a voter registration applicant with information maintained by the Department of Drivers Services and Social Security Administration. The DOJ ultimately granted preclearance of that process.

Brian Kemp was sworn in as Secretary of State in January 2010. Among the office's wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives and the Capitol Museum.
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Do you need to do anything special to vote Feb. 7th?

Due to the change in the way the Presidential Primary is being held in Georgia, a few people have asked if there's anything special they need to do to vote.

Short answer: No.

Although we'll be going to the polls to vote for our choice for the Presidential candidate for our respective parties earlier and separately from other elections, this is basically just like any other election.

If you're already registered and have voted in the county where you're living, you'll just need to bring your I.D. and vote as normal. If you're registered but haven't voted in umpteen years, it never hurts to double check with the county's Election office to make sure nothing is amiss. I have heard tales of people showing up to vote after years of inactivity only to find there was a glitch of some sort. Problems are rare, but I'd rather know in advance and have the chance to fix whatever might be wrong rather than show up to vote and get irritated at the poll workers.

Here's where to go to if you have any questions or want to check on your voter status:

Board of Elections & Voter Registration
Stonewall Administrative Complex
140 Stonewall Avenue West
Suite 208
Fayetteville, GA 30214
Telephone: 770.460.5730 Ext. 5408
Email: elections@fayettecountyga.gov
Hours: 8 am - 5 pm M-F

If you've recently moved, or moved a while back but haven't notified the local board of your move, here's the general rules:

- Voters are required to notify the board of registrars of their county of residence whenever they move.
- If you move within the same county in which you are registered to vote and don't
notify the registrar at least 30 days prior to an election, you may vote in your
old polling place for that election. You must file a notice of your new address.
This can be done by writing your county board of registrars' office, or by
submitting a new voter registration application.
- If you move outside the county in which you are registered to vote within 30 days of an election, you may vote in your old precinct for that election.
- If you move outside the county in which you are registered to vote in excess of 30 days prior to an election, you have lost your eligibility to vote in the county of your old residence. You must register to vote in your new county of residence. If you
don't register to vote by the deadline, you cannot vote in that particular
election.

Here's where you can register to vote:

- Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety Driver's Services
- Department of Human Resources' Public Assistance Offices (WICS, DFACS, Rehab)
- Public Libraries
- Recruitment Offices
- County courthouses and city halls
- Elections and Voter Registration Office
- Colleges and high schools for students and personnel

To find out where you should vote go the Secretary of State's Poll Locator: http://sos.georgia.gov/cgi-bin/locator.asp

Thanks for the questions, both on the blog and via email! Glad you're involved.

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Here's part of a press release sent out by Secretary of State Karen Handel regarding the upcoming election:

To register to vote in Georgia, you must be a citizen of the United States, a legal resident of Georgia and of the county in which you wish to vote, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. You may not register to vote if you are currently serving any sentence imposed by the conviction of a felony or judicially determined to be mentally incompetent.

You can download and complete a voter registration application by visiting the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.georgia.gov/elections. You can also contact your local county registrars' office, public library, public assistance office, recruitment office, schools and other government offices for a mail-in registration form. Voter Registration is offered when renewing or applying for a driver's license at any Georgia Department of Driver Services office. College students can obtain Georgia voter registration forms from their school registrar's office or from the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Secretary Handel also reminds voters that Georgia law requires registered voters to show photo identification when voting in person. This photo identification requirement applies in the February 5 Presidential Preference Primary and all future elections. When voting absentee by mail, photo identification is not required.
Voters casting ballots in person, either through early voting or on Election Day, will be required to show one of the following forms of acceptable photo ID when they vote:

§ A Georgia driver’s license, even if expired;
§ Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free Voter ID Card issued by your county registrar or Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS);
§ Valid U.S. passport;
§ Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;
§ Valid U.S. military photo ID; or
§ Valid tribal photo ID.
Voters who do not have a form of identification listed above are eligible to receive a FREE Georgia Voter ID from their county elections office.

Voters who have questions are encouraged to call the Georgia Secretary of State’s Voter ID Hotline at (877) 725-9797 or visit our website at www.GaPhotoID.com.