Atlanta Journal-Constitution/McClatchy: Mass Georgia voter cancellations begin using info from other states

Atlanta Journal-Constitution/McClatchy: Mass Georgia voter cancellations begin using info from other states

While sharing voter information may result in more updated voter lists, Georgia election officials shouldn't overly rely on the flood of data from ERIC to "weaponize" voter registrations cancellations, said Aunna Dennis, executive director for Common Cause Georgia, a government accountability organization. "I just hope our secretary of state uses it correctly and makes sure that voters have received information from notifications if they've moved," Dennis said. "It's a good system for checking registrations if the secretary of state's office uses it properly."

ATLANTA — Georgia election officials plan to start canceling voter registrations as soon as this week, on a smaller scale than in past years and, for the first time, exchanging information with other states to identify invalid voters.

After large numbers of cancellations in prior years, Georgia election officials expect to remove roughly 113,000 voter registrations this year. The state canceled a record 534,000 registrations in 2017, then removed an additional 287,000 two years ago.

The biennial cancellations, called voter “purges” by their critics, remove registrations of those who changed their address, had election mail returned as undeliverable or didn’t participate in elections for several years. Voting rights groups say Georgia’s cancellations disenfranchise eligible voters who haven’t moved after they decided not to vote in a few elections. …

While sharing voter information may result in more updated voter lists, Georgia election officials shouldn’t overly rely on the flood of data from ERIC to “weaponize” voter registrations cancellations, said Aunna Dennis, executive director for Common Cause Georgia, a government accountability organization.

“I just hope our secretary of state uses it correctly and makes sure that voters have received information from notifications if they’ve moved,” Dennis said. “It’s a good system for checking registrations if the secretary of state’s office uses it properly.”