Georgia Secretary of State: Bring (The Misinformation) On

Handel Falsely Claimed The Justice Department Threw Out The Flawed Bill For Political Purposes

Ms. Handel: "We've fought hard to protect the fairness and integrity of Georgia's elections. Recently, however, in a shockingly political move, the Obama Justice Department threw out our verification program and opened the door for non-citizens to vote in Georgia." [KarenHandel.com, accessed 6/5/09, emphasis original]

The Bill Unfairly And Illegally Targeted Minority Voters. The Department of Justice (DOJ) found that, "applicants who are Hispanic, Asian or African American are more likely than white applicants, to statistically significant degrees, to be flagged for additional scrutiny. [...] Although African American and white voters represent approximately equal shares of the new voter registrants between May 2008 and May 2009, more than sixty percent more African Americans [sic] voters who registered during this period are currently flagged than are whites... Hispanic and Asian individuals are more than twice as likely to appear on the list as are white applicants." [Department of Justice, 5/29/09, emphasis added]

By Targeting Minority Voters, The Bill Violates Section 5 Of The Voting Rights Act Of 1965 - Rendering It Illegal. According to the DOJ: "Under Section 5, any change with respect to voting in a covered jurisdiction -- or any political subunit within it -- cannot legally be enforced unless and until the jurisdiction first obtains the requisite determination by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia or makes a submission to the Attorney General. This requires proof that the proposed voting change does not deny or abridge the right to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group. If the jurisdiction is unable to prove the absence of such discrimination, the District Court denies the requested judgment, or in the case of administrative submissions, the Attorney General objects to the change, and it remains legally unenforceable." [Justice.gov, accessed 6/5/09, emphasis added]

Handel Falsely Implied The Bill Only Impacted Illegal Aliens And Non-Citizens

Ms. Handel: "Think illegal aliens and non-citizens should be able to vote in Georgia, Mr. President? I don't. Bring It On." [KarenHandel.com, accessed 6/5/09, emphasis original]

1 In 7 People Flagged By The System As Non-Citizens Were In Fact Citizens, And Had Birth Certificates To Prove It. According to the DOJ: "Indeed, of the 7,007 individuals who were flagged on the R2 report as potential non-citizens, more than half were in fact citizens. Perhaps the most telling statistic concerns the effect of the verification process on native-born citizens. Of those persons erroneously identified as non-citizens, 14.9 percent, more than one in seven, established eligibility with a birth certificate, showing they were born in this country." [Department of Justice, 5/29/09]