Secretary of State Recovers Thousands of
'Active' Fulton County Voter Registration Cards
Voters' personal information exposed investigation initiated immediately

Atlanta, GA (April 11, 2007) - Secretary of State Karen Handel today initiated an investigation regarding the disposal of approximately 75,000 voter registration application cards. The investigation will be led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), in conjunction with the Fulton County Solicitor General's Office and the Secretary of State's Inspector General.

   The seized voter registration cards contain the voter's full name, address and complete Social Security Number. A preliminary review of a random sampling of the cards by investigators in the Secretary of State's office revealed that many of the discarded cards and forms are for active voters.

   "This represents a significant and serious breach of the personal information of Fulton County voters and an outrageous violation of the trust and integrity of Fulton County's elections," Secretary of State Karen Handel said.

   "I am grateful that the GBI and the Solicitor General's office will lead the investigation into these issues and look forward to working with their offices in the aggressive pursuit of the facts," Secretary Handel continued.

   "Additionally, because this breach also creates serious concerns about the overall operations of the Fulton County Elections Office, we will conduct an independent audit of the office to examine its policies and procedures, particularly the maintenance and security of records and information," Secretary Handel said.

   The Secretary of State's Inspector General's office, acting on a call from a concerned citizen, recovered more than 30 boxes of voter registration application cards, voter precinct cards, and other forms and documents from a construction dumpster located in South Atlanta late Monday evening.

   In a letter dated April 11, 2007, Secretary Handel asked Fulton County Chairman John Eaves and Fulton County to immediately begin contacting all Fulton County voters of the potential exposure of their personal information. Fulton County voters are encouraged to visit http:// www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/ to learn more information about protecting themselves from potential identity theft.