As a part of the election process, the state of Georgia is on a mission to refine their voter rolls. As a result, the state has canceled the registration of over half-million voters ensuring an accurate and updated voter registration list, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Most of the canceled registrations stem from the state’s “inactive” list which had a total of 591,548 voters. “Inactive” registered voters are those who have not voted, updated their information including a new address, signed a petition or responded to confirmation attempts. According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, none of the “inactive” voters have had any form of contact with local election officials or the State since Sept. 16, 2014. The date befalls with the early-voting period up to the midterm general election of Nov. 4, 2014. Both state and federal law requires the state of Georgia to allow voters at least two federal general election cycles before it seeks to take action. Removals already started on Midnight last Friday.
“Voter list maintenance is both a statutory obligation and critical safeguard for the integrity of the ballot box,” said Candice Broce, a spokeswoman for the Secretary of State’s Office. “By regularly updating our rolls, we prevent fraud and ensure that all votes are cast by eligible Georgia voters.”
Under federal law, every state is required to own an accurate and current voter registration list. The act was executed with address confirmation notices going out to over thousands of Georgia residents. If a voter failed to respond, their registration was canceled. The voter purge occurred during the same time the U.S. Justice Department asked 44 states to reveal their process of removing ineligible voters. Also, an abstracted federal commission created by President Donald Trump has been positioned to investigate voter fraud in lieu of last year’s election.
Interestingly, Georgia is on the verge of creating a national history. Stacey Abrams, a Black woman is presently a candidate for governor of the peach state. Known to be one of the most skilled and political savvy leaders in the state, Abrams was victorious for the Democratic primary in Georgia’s gubernatorial race back in May. Shall Abrams will in November she will become the first Black female governor of the U.S. Hopefully, this voter purge will not influence the pending creation of American history.
