Georgia Voter Registration Forms Still Falsely Require Mailed Proof Of Residence

TUCKER, GA - JUNE 20:  'I'm a Georgia Voter' stickers are available for people to cast their ballots during a special election in Georgia's 6th Congressional District special election at St. Bede's Episcopal Church on June 20, 2017 in Tucker, Georgia. Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff and Republican candidate Karen Handel are running to replace Tom Price, who is now the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The election will fill a congressional seat that has been held by a Republican since the 1970s.  (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“I’m a Georgia Voter” stickers. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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The state of Georgia has said it will continue to distribute inaccurate voter registration forms, which falsely say registrants are required to enclose documentary proof of residence, until next year at earliest, public broadcaster WABE reported Monday.

On the incorrect form, first-time registrants are instructed to “enclose a copy of one of the following”: “A copy of a current and valid photo ID, a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.”

However, according to the ACLU of Georgia, that’s not required.

“By putting in this false requirement, you’re actually preventing people from registering to vote,” Sean Young, legal director of the ACLU of Georgia, told WABE. Young said Georgia has been using the inaccurate forms for at least a decade, the station noted.

First time voters can instead bring proof of residence with them to the polls, rather than including it with their registration, WABE reported.

A new form posted online recently by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, in response to an ACLU complaint, states: “If you are submitting this form by mail and you are registering for the first time in Georgia, you are required to submit proof of residence either with this form OR when you vote for the first time.”

But, per WABE, staff in the Secretary of State’s office said it “wouldn’t get a delivery of the revised forms until at least the beginning of next year.”

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, a Republican, is running for governor this year against Democrat Stacey Abrams.

Read WABE’s full report here.

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