Concern Over New-Voter Registration In Georgia Ahead Of Election
This election season is proving to be tough for Democrats, but many believe they can turn the red state of Georgia blue with the help of new voters.
One voter registration campaign led by the New Georgia Project, a "nonpartisan effort" according to its website, has targeted black, Latino and Asian-American residents.
The organization's parent group, Third Sector Development, is currently engaged in a legal battle with election officials over more than 40,000 voter registration applications that, the group says, are missing from Georgia's voter logs. This month, that organization, along with the NAACP and other civil rights groups, filed a lawsuit against five counties and Georgia's Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who oversees elections in the state.
"These are voters who deserve to have their voices heard," says Stacey Abrams, founder of the New Georgia Project. "This is a critical election — an election that will not only speak to what happens in the state of Georgia this cycle but ... speaks to the future of the Georgia that we want to have."
The issue has been resolved in Georgia's DeKalb County, located outside Atlanta. But four other counties, including Fulton, Chatham, Muscogee and Clayton, still face the lawsuit.
A Call For Transparency
Abrams, a Democrat who serves as Georgia's House minority leader, says it's unclear whether the 40,000 applications in question have been processed, based on the state's public lists of registered voters.
"The reality may be that the voters are in the process, and they will appear on the rolls. But we don't know," she says. "This is about information. It's about transparency."
The Georgia secretary of state's office did not respond to requests for comment by deadline, but during a press conference on Oct. 16, Kemp said the lawsuit is "totally without merit."
"The claim that there are over 40,000 unprocessed voter registration applications is absolutely false," he said. "The counties have processed all the voter registration applications that they have received for the general election."
In September, Kemp launched an investigation into the New Georgia Project's voter registration campaign after forged and other invalid applications were submitted to county offices. The New Georgia Project says it is legally required to submit all voter registration applications it collects — even invalid ones.
Resolution In DeKalb County
Earlier this week, DeKalb County was released from the lawsuit after confirming that the county had processed all of its applications. Maxine Daniels, director of voter registration and elections in DeKalb County, says she was upset by the lawsuit's allegations.
"We understand that what we do is the very basis for our democracy, and so we take it very seriously," she explains. "For someone to say that we're not doing it, it's just very disconcerting."
Daniels says the lawsuit may come down to failures in communication between the New Georgia Project and county election offices. She says she wishes the group had reached out to her office about missing applications earlier in the process. But Daniels still supports outreach to new voters.
"Let's not throw out the baby with the bath water," she says. "We have to keep in mind that there still were some 7,000 voters that as a result of their project got registered [in DeKalb County]. And so we applaud that effort."
NPR contacted the four other counties named in the lawsuit. All asserted that they currently have no unprocessed applications. A hearing about the case is set to take place in Atlanta on Friday.
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Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Next we'll report on claims that the Georgia voter rolls have been losing some weight. Civil rights groups claim people's voter registration papers have been lost. They sued the state, contending more than 40,000 voter registration applications went missing. Most were filled out by black, Latino and Asian-American voters. This issue has been resolved in one county while four others still face the suit. Here's Hansi Lo Wang of NPR's Code Switch team.
HANSI LO WANG, BYLINE: It's a tough election year for Democrats, but many still believe they can turn the red state of Georgia blue with the help of new voters.
(SOUNDBITE OF POLITICAL AD)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Spanish Spoken).
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Mom says it's the most important thing she does for me. And it's easier than getting me to eat broccoli. She votes, and so should you.
WANG: The New Georgia Project has run ads like these and canvassed neighborhoods to register more voters of color. But that organization, which describes itself as nonpartisan, says over 40,000 new voters they helped to register are missing from Georgia's voter logs.
STACEY ABRAMS: These are voters who deserve to have their voices heard. This is a critical election, an election that will not only speak to what happens in the state of Georgia this cycle, but it speaks to the future of the Georgia we want to have.
WANG: Stacey Abrams leads the New Georgia Project, whose parent group, Third Sector Development, filed the lawsuit. It would order government officials to process all new applications. Abrams is also a Democrat and the state House minority leader.
ABRAMS: The reality may be that the voters are in process, and they will appear on the rolls. But we don't know. This is about information. It's about transparency.
WANG: But Georgia's secretary of state, Brian Kemp, who oversees elections for the state, says officials aren't hiding anything. He's a Republican and one of the defendants in the lawsuit.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BRIAN KEMP: At this very moment, the state and the counties are busy administering an election. And we should not have to waste valuable resources on a frivolous lawsuit.
WANG: Last month, Kemp launched an investigation into the New Georgia Project's voter registration campaign after forged and other invalid applications were submitted to county offices. The New Georgia Project says they are legally required to submit all voter registration applications they collect, even invalid ones. Kemp's office did not respond to requests for comment by deadline, but in a press conference last week, Kemp said the lawsuit was totally without merit.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
KEMP: The claim that there are over 40,000 unprocessed voter registration applications is absolutely false. The counties have processed all the voter registration applications that they have received for the general election.
WANG: County officials have echoed that message. Maxine Daniels is a director of voter registration and elections in DeKalb County outside of Atlanta. She says she was upset by the law suit's allegations.
MAXINE DANIELS: This has kept me up at night, you know? We understand that what we do is the very basis for our democracy. And so we take it very seriously. For someone to say that we're not doing it, it's just very disconcerting.
WANG: So it was good news for Daniels this week when the lawsuit's plaintiffs agreed to release DeKalb County from the case after confirming the county had processed all applications.
DANIELS: We have not had any unprocessed voter registration applications since prior to early voting starting last Monday.
WANG: Daniels says the lawsuit may come down to failures in communication between the New Georgia Project and county election offices. She says she wishes the group reached out to her office about missing applications earlier in the process. But Daniels still supports outreach to new voters.
DANIELS: Let not throw out the baby with the bathwater. We have to keep in mind that there still were some 7,000 voters that, as a result of their project, got registered. And so we applaud that effort.
WANG: NPR has contacted the four other counties in the lawsuit, including Georgia's largest, Fulton County - all assert they have no unprocessed applications. A hearing about the case is set to take place in Atlanta on Friday morning. Hansi Lo Wang, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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