GOP's Brian Kemp Purged 1 in 10 Georgia Voters: I've Got the Names

[diva77]

by Greg Palast
Truthout October 8, 2018

https://truthout.org/articles/gops-brian-kemp-purged-1-in-10-georgia-voters-ive-got-the-names/

My lawyer had to threaten Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp with a federal lawsuit to force him to turn over the names of over half a million voters whose citizenship rights he quietly extinguished.

This past week, I released the name of every one of these Georgia voters Kemp flushed from voter rolls in 2017. If you’re a Georgia resident, check the list. If your name is on it, re-register right now. You only have through tomorrow (October 9).

It’s no coincidence that Georgia’s Purge’n General is also running for Governor: The Republican candidate is fighting a dead-even race against Stacey Abrams, Democratic House Minority Leader. Abrams, if she wins, would become the first Black woman governor in US history.

Suspiciously, Kemp sent no notice to these citizens after he took away their voting rights. If they show up to vote on November 6, they’re out of luck — and so is Georgia’s democracy.

I brought in one of the nation’s top mailing database experts, Mark Swedlund, and his team to go through the list, name by name. Among the voters purged are thousands who supposedly left the state but remain in Georgia. Thousands more are people who moved from one end of town to another and lost their vote — and we even found one who simply moved from one apartment to another in the same building.

These registration cancellations are therefore dead wrong and, say voting law experts, coldly break the law.

That is why Gerald Griggs, counsel for the Atlanta NAACP, and voting rights attorney Nse Ufot, executive director of the New Georgia Project (a nonpartisan voter registration initiative), are joining in my suit against Kemp.

We’ll be hauling Kemp into federal court to force him to open the records to which the public is entitled under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 — provisions meant to prevent just this type of voter roll shenanigan. In particular, we’re forcing him to disclose the complete detailed process that led to each voter’s removal.

----------------------------
We have to be eternally vigilant with these Rethug Secretaries of State

[msongs]

1. so is there a suit to extend the registration time due to the illegal purging? nt

[diva77]

5. great question -- wish I knew the answer

[maxsolomon]

2. Honestly, Dems should have been re-registering these folks this entire year.

It should have been a national focus. It's appalling that these lists were kept secret. It de-legitimizes the election, frankly.

[Thekaspervote]

3. Thank you for your great work!! These are the kinds of things that in the past have slipped under

The radar doing great harm to our democracy

[diva77]

4. The person to thank is Greg Palast!! (altho. I appreciate the thought!!)

REAL investigative reporting

https://www.gregpalast.com/

[jodymarie aimee]

6. Palast should be on TV every damn day

he in genius..

[triron]

17. Not according to MSM; we have free and fair elections. (sarcasm)

Democrats are just trying to make excuses for losing. (sarcasm again)

[mountain grammy]

7. Support the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

[diva77]

10. +1,000,000! Absolutely!!

you can donate here:

http://www.naacpldf.org/

[Hoyt]

8. I despise KKKemp and hope Stacy Abrams kicks his racist ass. But, it is simple to keep from being

purged. Essentially, you have to go 7 years without voting and have failed to respond to at least one notice sent to you saying you are being placed on inactive status.

Under the section 234 procedure, a qualified, registered Georgia voter may
be purged from the voter rolls for failing to vote. If he does not vote in three
consecutive years and fails to respond to an address-confirmation notice, he will be
moved to the inactive list [they can still vote while on the inactive list].
Then, if he does not vote in two consecutive general
elections, he will be purged altogether.


Even if you go 7 years without voting, it's easy to check your registration status yourself. And, any effective Democratic organization has been encouraging voters to check their status if there is any doubt, they even help them do it. Plus, in Georgia you can vote by mail and there is a generous early voting period, including weekends. There is absolutely no excuse for not voting.

The vast majority of people purged moved to another county and it makes no sense to be listed in two counties as an active voter for a decade or more.

[diva77]

9. This excerpt from the same article explains how KKKemp broke the law

https://truthout.org/articles/gops-brian-kemp-purged-1-in-10-georgia-voters-ive-got-the-names/
SNIP

I brought in one of the nation’s top mailing database experts, Mark Swedlund, and his team to go through the list, name by name. Among the voters purged are thousands who supposedly left the state but remain in Georgia. Thousands more are people who moved from one end of town to another and lost their vote — and we even found one who simply moved from one apartment to another in the same building.

These registration cancellations are therefore dead wrong and, say voting law experts, coldly break the law.

That is why Gerald Griggs, counsel for the Atlanta NAACP, and voting rights attorney Nse Ufot, executive director of the New Georgia Project (a nonpartisan voter registration initiative), are joining in my suit against Kemp.

SNIP

[Hoyt]

12. Anyone purged still went years without voting. It's not enough

to remain in Georgia, you have to register in the county where you live. I’ve been “purged” numerous times because I moved from one county to another.

Again, I hope KKKemp gets his rear kicked by a much better qualified candidate. But wasting time on something that is not really an issue, doesn’t help anything. If one hasn’t voted in that many years, recieved a notice and done something about it, checked their registration status themselves or with help of Democratic volunteers, they aren’t likely to vote.

If misinterpreting “purge” actually helps to defeat KKKemp, great. But, I don’t think it will make any difference in who votes and the outcome because no one is being disenfranchised.

Now, if someone voted in 2016 or even 2014, and was “purged,” they have something to complain about. That isn’t what has happened, though.

We’d do better saying very succinctly, everyone needs to check their registration status. If you can’t yourself, go to local Democratic organization. They will help you.

[diva77]

13. I'm no legal expert, but it sounds like you were illegally purged. Maybe try emailing Greg Palast

about it

[Hoyt]

15. Nope. I moved from one county to another where I registered

Like most people (probably 99+%), I didn’t tell the old county I moved. I voted in the county where I lived at time of election and, at some point, I was purged from the old county because I didn’t live there anymore.

[Mystery sage]

11. Have anyone on Facebook or Twitter know about this?

[SergeStorms]

14. Rotten bastards!

The only way RepubliCONS win is by subverting democracy. Lying, cheating, racist, misogynistic pieces of shit.

[JudyM]

16. Thanks for this, diva. I just found a friend's son on the list, sending him the info.

[diva77]

18. Thank YOU for taking action!!!