Voting Rights

In an amicus brief filed in the long-running Curling v. Raffensperger lawsuit, Common Cause asked United States District Judge Amy Totenberg to require paper ballots equal to 40% of registered voters at each polling site. That number was based on projections of ballot usage during peak voting times, so voters would be able to vote at their polling place even in cases of voting system failures lasting three hours. In a decision issued tonight, Judge Totenberg declined to require a specific number of paper ballots.

Common Cause Georgia, represented by the Brennan Center for Justice, today took legal action to ensure voters would not be denied the right to vote in the November election, even if voting machines fail.  

Federal District Court Justice Amy Totenberg today issued a ruling requiring the Georgia Secretary of State and local elections officials to ensure that polling places use paper backups of electronic poll books in the event of electronic pollbook failure. "Judge Totenberg’s order is a victory for voters and for the integrity of our elections. Common Cause Georgia has been working to improve our elections infrastructure for years...."

Georgia’s Secretary of State has added language to his website, clarifying that “outstanding monetary obligations other than fines, such as unpaid restitution, fees, costs, or surcharges” are not a barrier to voting, for people who have been convicted of a felony.

Georgia is ground zero for voter suppression and we’ve seen it happen before. Poll workers can make the difference between an election disaster like we saw in June, and a successful, safe election that Georgians deserve.

Today’s anniversary comes during a time when our nation is, once again, grappling with its long history of treating people differently based on the color of their skin.