Secretary Handel Applauds U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Indiana’s Photo ID Requirement

Atlanta – Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel today applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the constitutionality of state laws that require voters to show photo identification when voting in-person.

 “Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for voter protection and the integrity of the elections process,” Handel said. “The photo ID requirement protects against in-person voter fraud and helps ensure that no vote is diluted by a vote cast illegally.”

Georgia’s photo identification requirement was upheld in a September 2007 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Harold Murphy. Murphy noted in his ruling that those challenging the requirement were not able to identify even one voter who had been disenfranchised by Georgia’s photo ID law.

Secretary Handel filed a brief of amicus curiae in December 2007 in support of Indiana’s photo ID voting requirement. Handel’s amicus brief noted that since the Murphy ruling “there has not been one single demonstrated deprivation of any right to vote or any other violation of a constitutional or statutory right resulting from the photo ID requirement.”

Over two million Georgia voters cast ballots in the state’s February 2008 Presidential Preference Primary. County elections officials reported no problems with the photo identification requirement, and no issues were reported directly to the Secretary of State’s office.

The Georgia Secretary of State’s office will continue to reach out to voters who may not have photo identification through direct mailings, radio and television advertising and distributing information to public libraries, religious organizations and chambers of commerce.

“We plan to continue our extensive, multiphase outreach and education campaign throughout this important election year to remind Georgia voters about our state’s photo ID requirement, and how voters can obtain a free photo ID if they do not have one,” Handel said.

Karen Handel was sworn in as Secretary of State in January 2007. The Secretary of State's office offers important services to our citizens and our business community. 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.