Georgia Settles Lawsuit Over Low-Income Voter Registration
State officials have settled a lawsuit charging welfare and food stamp applicants haven’t been given proper access to voter-registration materials.
Signed in 1993, the National Voter Registration Act requires states to offer to register anyone receiving public aid, whether they apply for benefits in person, by telephone, or online.
The lawsuit, brought forth by Project Vote, the NAACP, and others, argued Georgia wasn’t fulfilling its obligations under the law.
The U.S. Justice Department agreed and now Georgia will have to file regular reports with the coalition that sued.
Niete Shah of Project Vote was pleased, saying it would help remove obstacles to low-income voters.
“The numbers in Georgia indicated that even as food stamp applications were just skyrocketing, voter registration was drastically falling over the years.”
In 2010, out of nearly 70,000 food stamp applications each month, the state registered fewer than 4,500 of those.
Meanwhile, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who signed off on the settlement, issued a statement blasting the decision. He says it represented “a full-frontal assault” on state’s rights and would cost Georgia taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in unnecessary costs.
9(MDAxODM0MDY4MDEyMTY4NDA3MzI3YjkzMw004))
Top Stories
