Accusations of a voter purge in one Georgia county rest at the center of a new lawsuit filed against the DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections. It argues actions that resulted in the removal of registered voters from the rolls violates the National Voter Registration Act.
The ACLU, along with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda and the Georgia NAACP.
In essence, the National Voter Registration Act prevents officials from partaking in voter purge by stipulating the circumstances of a voter’s removal from the rolls.
There are two cases in which a voter may be removed. First, officials remove a voter when prompted by a letter written by that voter confirming a change of residence. Second, if a voter sits out two federal election cycles and fails to provide response to a notice, officials remove them.
Voter Purge Practiced in DeKalb
DeKalb County contains part of Atlanta. In its case, the lawsuit alleges they conducted a voter purge without waiting the requisite two election cycles.
The Board of Registration removed over 50 individuals from the rolls because for questioned residency. Notices returned as undeliverable or simply did not returned.
Allegedly, 100 of the county’s 129 fielded challenges to voter registrations originate from a single resident. That resident apparently researched each case themselves before reporting.
Furthermore, the voter purge targeted cities over suburban and rural areas, the lawsuit claims. Urban centers generally contain more diverse demographics and a more liberal-leaning electorate.
In advance of the contentious 2020 presidential election, watchdogs remain on high alert for political subterfuge. A history of voter suppression in the south attracts more scrutiny. Incidents such as this reaffirm the need to keep a watchful eye.
In order to review your voter registration status, a slew of resources online can assist you, such as vote.org.