Secretary of State Kemp Continues Fight to Protect Georgia Elections Following ACLU’s Motion to Intervene

Atlanta – Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced today that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups opposed to protecting the state’s voter rolls have filed a motion to intervene in opposition to Georgia’s voter verification process, which includes citizenship verification. In June, Secretary Kemp announced that the State of Georgia filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the U.S. Department of Justice to obtain “preclearance” or approval of this federally-required voter verification process.

Secretary Kemp stated, “As Georgia’s Chief Elections Officer, my job is to ensure a fair, secure and accessible elections process for every Georgia citizen who is eligible to vote. Part of this process includes verifying that voter registration applicants are who they say they are, and that they are U.S. citizens. Unfortunately, the ACLU wants to deny our state’s right to safeguard our elections and protect the votes of our citizens.”

Under federal law (the Help America Vote Act), states are required to verify the information provided by first time voter registration applicants with information currently on file in state or federal databases. In Georgia, the applicant’s first name, last name, date of birth, driver’s license or ID number or the last four digits of his or her Social Security Number and United States citizenship status are verified with the Department of Driver Services or Social Security Administration databases to ensure that the information matches.

Secretary Kemp added, “Every ballot cast by a non-citizen erases a ballot cast by an eligible Georgia voter. Contrary to the ACLU’s press release, the federally-mandated verification process does not deny the right to vote to anyone who is legally entitled to vote.”

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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