Georgia portal for removing voters from the rolls worries Democrats

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger took an unprecedented step on Monday, launching a program that would allow voters to cancel a voter registration — their own or someone else’s — through a few clicks on the secretary of state’s website.

The system, known as the GA Voter Registration Cancellation Portal , was intended to help those registered in Georgia update their voter registration status if, for example, they move out of state and no longer qualify to vote in the Peach State. It would also allow family members to remove a deceased relative from the voter rolls.

The portal is nearly identical to the one Georgia residents can use to register to vote or check key election information, save for the words, “Please enter the information for the voter you are wanting to cancel,” on the right-hand side. By Wednesday, the instructions had been updated to include the caveat “if you are reporting the death of a loved one.”

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According to Raffensperger, a Republican, the new program will “help keep Georgia’s voter registration database up-to-date without having to rely on postcards being sent and returned by an increasingly inefficient postal system.”

But some civil rights activists fear the new system could cause legitimate voters to be wrongly removed from the rolls.

Voter roll maintenance can be a slow process. Both federal and state election laws require mailed notifications to voters who appear to have moved to assess their eligibility to vote. If there is no response, a voter’s registration can be canceled if they don’t participate in the next two general elections.

However, conservative elections advocates have been pushing for a way to more readily remove voters who may have passed away or no longer be eligible, arguing that outdated voter rolls could leave Georgia’s elections vulnerable to fraud.

A controversial error

To submit a cancellation request, users just need a few identifying details: A first initial, last name, county, date of birth, and the driver’s license number or last four digits of the Social Security number for the voter whose registration they are seeking to cancel. The new system “will lead to fewer clerical errors and peace of mind for any user,” said a press release announcing the portal’s launch.

But almost immediately, a major error was apparent: On the first day the portal went live, a glitch in the system allowed anyone to view a voter’s date of birth, driver’s license number and last four digits of their Social Security number — the very information needed to request that a voter’s registration be canceled.

The Georgia secretary of state’s office said it quickly corrected the glitch, blaming a URL routing error.

“This URL routing error is believed to be the result of a scheduled software update and was quickly corrected,” Mike Hassinger, a spokesperson for the secretary of state, said in a statement. “The error was detected and fixed within an hour.”

However, Democrats and voting rights advocates were quick to denounce the cancellation portal, arguing that the portal will allow voter challenge activists to further target and disenfranchise Georgia residents.

“This portal is ripe for abuse,” the Democratic Party of Georgia’s Executive Director Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye said in a statement. “Coming right on the heels of S.B. 189, this page is yet another move in Georgia Republicans’ playbook to empower anti-democracy activists, and the Secretary of State must take it down immediately.”

In recent years, sweeping election law changes have given a small but dedicated group of election conspiracy theorists in Georgia greater power to challenge their fellow voters. SB 202, a 2021 election bill, codified the ability for any one person to challenge an unlimited number of voter registrations. SB 189, which was passed in March and took effect earlier this month, served as a critical counterpart, listing some criteria that local election boards may consider when receiving a challenge, such as knowledge that a voter had moved or passed away. However, it also failed to place any restrictions on what evidence activists may submit when questioning fellow voters, how many challenges one person can submit at once, or even mandate that they be residents of the state.

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Until now, voter cancellations had mandated a hearing with a voter’s local county elections board, where a resident whose registration was challenged would be able to appear in person and address the challenge. A system that allows voter registrations to be canceled without a hearing or notice has some advocates worried.

“As MAGA ‘election integrity’ vigilantes are challenging thousands of Georgians’ freedom to vote across our state, the leak of Georgia voters’ private, personal information should be alarming to all who value free and fair elections,” Fair Fight CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo said in a statement. “Considering how the leak came while a new voter cancellation portal was launched is gravely concerning. Everyone who wants to exercise their freedom to vote this November should check their voter registration status and help spread the word to their friends, family, and community to ensure no one’s freedom to vote has been challenged or canceled.”

Maya Homan is a fellow at USA TODAY based in Atlanta, where she covers Georgia politics and elections. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, as @MayaHoman.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia portal for removing voters from the rolls worries Democrats