Department of Justice Decision on Voter Verification Process Directly Conflicts with Federal Law
Secretary of State Handel Promises to Continue Fight 

Atlanta (October 16, 2009) – Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel today announced that the State of Georgia’s request to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to pre-clear its voter verification process has been denied for a second time, even though the process in question is required by federal law under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). 

“For the second time in six months, DOJ has effectively directed the State of Georgia not to comply with or enforce federal law. For nearly a year, our office and the Office of the Attorney General have worked in good faith with the Department of Justice to address their questions and issues. Throughout this entire process, DOJ did not raise a single question, comment or concern with our reconsideration submission until Tuesday,” Handel said.

Handel added, “The voter verification system is an essential tool to prevent election and voter fraud. Going forward, we will review all options available to us to protect this system and ensure the integrity of Georgia’s voter rolls. I will discuss these options with Governor Perdue, the Attorney General and the Secretary of State’s legal counsel to determine the best course of action for the State of Georgia and our elections process.” 

“I am left to draw one conclusion. The Department of Justice has put politics ahead of common sense by placing the interests and support of organizations like MALDEF and the ACLU ahead of our interest in protecting the integrity of our elections,” Handel said. 

The DOJ originally denied preclearance of Georgia’s voter verification process on May 29, 2009. On July 22, 2009, officials with the Secretary of State’s Office and the Attorney General’s office met with senior attorneys in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division to address concerns, answer questions, and discuss the State’s pending reconsideration submission. The request for reconsideration was submitted to DOJ several weeks later. Until Monday, there was no indication that there were additional questions, comments, concerns or objections to the State’s submission.