Georgia settles lawsuit over voter registration for the poor
The state of Georgia has settled a major lawsuit over its failure to offer poor people who sign up for public assistance a chance to register to vote.
From the press release just issued by the plaintiffs:
A coalition of national voting rights groups have secured a landmark settlement with the State of Georgia to ensure that voter registration is offered to all public assistance applicants. The state has settled a lawsuit, brought by the coalition on behalf of the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP and the Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda, alleging widespread violations of Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).
Georgia’s Secretary of State and its Department of Human Services (DHS) have agreed to comply with Section 7 of the NVRA, which requires that public assistance agency clients be provided with the opportunity to register to vote every time they apply for or renew benefits, or when they submit a change of address. This includes instances where clients interact with the agency both in person and by remote means (by telephone, internet or mail, for example). The lawsuit alleged that Georgia had been largely ignoring this mandate for many years.
“This settlement is a major step in modernizing our registration system for public assistance applicants, who increasingly interact with agencies through internet-based and telephone transactions,” says Neil Steiner, a partner with the law firm of Dechert LLP. “Voting is a fundamental right in the United States and we are pleased to assist in ensuring that it is available to all those who are eligible.”
A few numbers:
….[T]here has been a dramatic decline in the number of persons registering to vote at Georgia public assistance offices since the NVRA first took effect in the mid-1990s. During the 1995-1996 reporting period, DHS received over 100,000 registration applications, but in 2010 the number of registrations had dropped to a mere 4,430. By comparison, in 2009, Georgia, on average, received nearly 70,000 applications each month for just one of the public assistance programs (Food Stamps) covered by the NVRA’s voter registration requirements.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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113 comments Add your comment
Auntie Christ
April 19th, 2012
4:10 pm
Jim’s post is coming from one side of the argument so of coarse they are going to interpret the law the way they want too. Are you that dumb?
If you actually read the law, instead of spending your life on this blog offering specious, misbegotten, misguided arguments to any and all topics, you would see Mr Galloway’s representation of what the law says is entirely accurate. And I am not so dumb that I don’t know the difference between ‘coarse’ and ‘course’ or too and to.’
Bill from Atlanta
April 19th, 2012
4:39 pm
gm….THATs exactly what I’m saying. I do not want people to vote who will vote in con artists that will promise to give them free stuff that they didn’t earn. Its hard to debate your insults and comments that have no relevance. I know the principals that forged the origins of our government. I also observe the fraud, waste and abuse that big government proponents (rebublican and democrat) have created especially in the last 70 years. The activists who propose the everyone should vote crap are only in it for the power they create for themselves. They do not care at all for the poor and only exploit them by giving them crumbs to get their support. gm you might want to observe why things like the new deal, great society, eisenhower’s interstate, the ginned up wars since Korea, bush’ pharmacy entitlements and no child left behind etc etc seem to never stop but perpetuate the problem. Its because government is not interested in solving problems it wants more power. Go ahead keep insulting the “right wingers and less government folks” all your doing is feeding the monster.
Harry Paulms
April 19th, 2012
5:01 pm
I registered as a Republican in 1986. The registration form was on the back of the label of a jar of Grey Poupon that I had purchased at an upscale supermarket.
honested
April 19th, 2012
5:08 pm
Harry,
Ssshhhhhhhh!
They weren’t supposed to know about the ‘label-voter initiative!
Bill from Atlanta
April 19th, 2012
5:22 pm
td…appreciate the comments
simeon namor…your no fun to debate…your an empty jacket
dutch jackal…. you are a perfect example of arrogance and ignorance intertwined. I never said that the poor should not be able to vote. I said I didn’t want want welfare recipients to vote because they perpetuate the wasteful government programs that never fix anything. I’m not sure where you came from but our society isn’t legally socialist yet. We still have a Constitution that admittedly, has been violated but not been trashed completely. This countrys’ wealth was due to a limited government that didn’t interfere with free enterprise capitalism. All the problems we have faced in the last 90 years is due to the Federal government tinkering and interfering with the economy and social issues. If you and your likeminded brethren want to get together and form some socialist commune go ahead. You have the freedom to do that here. But please, don’t force everyone else to conform with what you want. Especially the producers who may quit producing because of it.
Robbie
April 19th, 2012
5:22 pm
Clinton is probably the smartest person that has ever been president, and with Hillary at his side, he propelled the USA to the top. Everyone in congress worked with him and much was accomplished. Obama is very close. He is an elegant speaker, and is the best father ever. He cares about people and whether they can eat, drive, or have health care. People will wake up, and he will win by a landslide. Why can’t the GOP reps on the Hill at least TRY to work with him He is a great team player, just sayin…..
Robbie
April 19th, 2012
5:24 pm
Most people register at their Department of Vehicle Registration, when they get their driver’s licenses. EVERYONE can register, including Dems and Reps. The same will be true with those on assistance. Many of them cannot afford a car and this makes it more fair to all.
td
April 19th, 2012
5:36 pm
Robbie
April 19th, 2012
5:22 pm
You can not compare Clinton to Obama. I did not vote for Clinton but have to give him his due about being a great politician and had exceptional leadership ability. Clinton was able to work with Newt and balance a budget and end Welfare as we knew it.
Where is the leadership from Obama? He can not even work with a crybaby. Do you really think the current speaker is even close to Newt where when it comes to political savvy? Obama is a nice man and a goof family man but he is in way over his head and must be removed from office.
Marcella
April 19th, 2012
5:42 pm
Actually the applications have the voter registration papers included in them when you apply-how do I know this? Because we have gotten assistance before, which is where I registered to vote. Not everyone chooses to register, only about three of us in the group chose to register. Maybe everyone else is already registered.
Jack From Cumming
April 19th, 2012
9:18 pm
Anyone thinking a man who had doubled national Debt and still has no economic gains to show for it is a failed leader. Amazing that Afganistan is a quagmire yet he media focuses on library’s fluke and racialist like Jackson and Wharton. Obama cannot run on healthcare bill because not even libtards in Massachusetts wantd it. He cannot run on fiscal responsibility. Cannot run on govt motors. Or energy solutions like solyndra and high oil. He cannot run on job creation. All he can run on is empty words like fair and race and gender division. Anyone who votes for Obama for his handling of economy or healthcare or anything other then the fact that you are incapable of providing for yourself is a mental midget who relies on the media to shape their thoughts instead of facts
Jack From Cumming
April 19th, 2012
9:19 pm
Sorry my phone spell corrects nd puts library in for libtards
Aaron Burr V Mexico
April 20th, 2012
1:23 pm
@TD – “Clinton was white! And southern! And we hadn’t invented the Tea Party yet, or Fox News (really) so it took us another 15-20 years before our Wall of Hate was up and Running. Now we can have a token democrat we like and can work with (who caved in the middle of his term) and show that as leadership.”
Because its bipartisanship when Republicans get what they want, but Socialism when they don’t.
Aaron Burr V Mexico
April 20th, 2012
1:24 pm
@Jack – Jack! Jackjackjack…you don’t DO Full on Contard. Just do half way contard, that gets you the awards…..