In Georgia, conservatives seek to have voters removed from rolls without official challenges
Conservative activists in Georgia and other states are using a new software tool as part of a broader effort to scrub voters from the rolls
WOODSTOCK, Ga. (AP) — Conservative activists in Georgia and some other states are quietly pushing a way to remove names from the voting rolls without filing a formal legal challenge.
They’re asking election administrators to use their data to purge voter registrations, which means names could be removed in a less public process than a formal voter challenge. The strategy could mean electors won’t be summoned in advance to defend their voting rights and the identities of those seeking to purge voters might not be routinely public.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office insists any living voter stricken from the rolls must be notified. But because Georgia has 159 counties and no formal statewide rules governing these less formal inquiries, it’s unclear how every county will react. People removed in error could vote a provisional ballot, but local officials might count those votes only in exceptional cases.
The strategy is expanding even as a new Georgia law takes effect Monday that could lead to counties removing a larger share of voters using formal voter challenges.
