Georgia GOP State Representative Tim Fleming – who is currently running for Secretary of State – has filed legislation to dismantle Georgia’s highly successful automatic voter registration system and make it harder for Georgians to register to vote.
Georgia has one of the highest voter registration rates in the country thanks in large part to automatic voter registration, which was implemented under Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp and led to a 20% increase in eligible Georgians registered to vote. HB 1467 would change the system from “opt-out” to “opt-in” – a move that would likely cause a precipitous drop in eligible Georgians being registered.
“Let’s call this what it is: a candidate for chief elections officer actively trying to reduce the number of people eligible to vote,” said DPG Chair Charlie Bailey. “This voter suppression bill makes two things crystal clear: how little respect Tim Fleming has for Georgia voters and how scared he is of facing them. Only a candidate terrified of facing accountability for his party’s record of sky-high costs and kicking people off their health insurance would go to such extremes to keep voters from voting.”
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