Georgia Prepares to Purge Almost 200,000 Voters from the Voter List, Applying “Use it or Lose it” Rules; 20 Other States Have Similar Laws

Brian Beihl

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for July 28, 2023

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Today we’re in Georgia, where almost 200,000 people who haven’t moved, aren’t felons, and whose voter eligibility hasn’t changed, may lose their voter registration prior to the 2024 Presidential election.  The reason?  They haven’t voted recently.

Removing voters who have moved or died is a routine election office function.   But under Georgia’s “use it or lose it” law, the state also takes steps when a voter hasn’t updated a registration, voted, signed a petition or responded to a mailing in five years. 

Around the U.S., 20 states have such rules, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, varying from cancellation after 8 years of inactivity, to Wyoming, which immediately cancels your voter registration if you don’t vote in a general election.  Ouch.

In 2017, then Secretary of State Brian Kemp purged 560,000 inactive Georgia voters – in one day.  Another 287,000 were removed in 2019.  Analysis by American Public Media and the Atlanta Journal Constitution later found that 56,000 re-registered for the 2018 election, but an estimated 107,000 would have otherwise been eligible to vote.  They hadn’t moved or changed their status. 

The timing of notifications and purges in Georgia is one factor which morphs routine list maintenance into voter suppression.  We’ll have more on this in our next report.

We have tools to check your voter registration status at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Capitol Beat News Service – Nearly 200,000 ‘inactive’ Georgia voters to be dropped from rolls
NewsOne – Georgia ‘Voter Suppression’ Alleged Over Plans To Drop Nearly 200K Registered Names From Rolls
National Conference of State Legislatures – State Policies for Cancelling Inactive Voter Registrations
American Public Media Reports – (2019)  After the Purge:  How a massive voter purge in Georgia affected the 2018 election
Atlanta Journal Constitution – (2020)  Many eligible Georgia voters were canceled in nation’s largest purge
Brennan Center for Justice – (2018) Purges: A Growing Threat to the Right to Vote

National Association of Secretaries of State:   Check Your Voter Registration Status

Groups Taking Action:
Fair Fight Action, New Georgia Project, Black Voters Matter Fund, ACLU GA, Common Cause GA, League of Women Voters GA

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VotingRights #VoterSuppression