A coalition of voting rights groups have filed a motion to prohibit federal authorities from misusing voter information recently seized from Fulton County.
The motion, filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, seeks to bar the government from using the sensitive voter information to help create a national voter registration database or use the information for immigration enforcement or other purposes unrelated to its ongoing criminal investigation.
Misusing the seized 2020 voter rolls would breach the privacy guaranteed by state law when “millions of Georgians entrusted the state with their sensitive personal information to participate in the electoral process,” the motion says.
The motion was filed by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on behalf of the national NAACP, the NAACP’s Georgia and Atlanta branches, and the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda. It’s the latest legal salvo in the battle over Fulton County’s 2020 election.
The search warrant for the Jan. 28 FBI raid on Fulton’s Union City election office shows the agency sought to obtain the county’s ballots, voter rolls and other material from the election.
An affidavit used to justify the seizure shows the Justice Department is investigating longstanding allegations of voting fraud. The allegations already have been investigated by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, which found problems but no intentional misconduct.
Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential race was confirmed by three counts — including a hand count of every ballot cast. But Trump has long claimed, without evidence, that the election was stolen.
The FBI raid prompted Fulton County to file motions seeking the return of the ballots and other seized material. That lawsuit is set for a hearing later this month.
The Trump administration has sued numerous states — including Georgia — to obtain complete voter rolls, including information like driver’s license and Social Security numbers that the state law prohibits from release. Courts have so far rejected those attempts.
The voting groups’ motion suggests the seizure of Fulton’s 2020 voter rolls could be misused for purposes beyond the criminal probe.
“Based on federal government’s prior actions and statements frame, NAACP members believe there is a substantial risk their sensitive data will ... be improperly disclosed to agencies and third parties or misused to create a national voter database, purge eligible voters or used for other improper purposes, chilling their right to vote, free from intimidation,” the motion says.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
