The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Aug. 9, 2024
Today’s Script
(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
Just 90 days before the 2024 election, the State of Georgia took actions which could impact the outcome, launching a controversial web page to cancel voter registrations, and allowing county election board members to potentially disrupt election certification.
The Georgia Secretary of State’s office launched its ‘Voter Registration Cancellation Portal’ August 5th, allowing voters moving out of state to cancel their voter registration, OR to cancel the registration of someone else, such as a deceased family member. An immediate glitch, fixed within a short time, disclosed a voter’s date of birth, driver’s license number and last four Social Security digits – the information used to cancel the registration.
The bigger concern is that bad actors could use the portal to cancel registrations for partisan reasons, provided they had all or part of that information. Changes in Georgia law have already made it easier for activists to challenge a voter’s eligibility at the polls.
The Georgia State Election Board voted 3-2 August 6th to allow individual members of county election boards to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” of their own before certifying an election. Democracy groups say the rule’s vague language allows partisans to throw the election process into chaos and litigation, and could delay outcomes or disenfranchise voters. President Trump praised the decision at his Atlanta rally.
We have links to local reporting and the groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
Georgia Secretary of State – Voter Registration Cancellation Portal
ProPublica – Marjorie Taylor Greene’s and Brad Raffensperger’s Voter Registrations Targeted in Georgia’s New Online Portal
Associated Press – Georgia website that lets people cancel voter registrations briefly displayed personal data
ProPublica – “A Terrible Vulnerability”: Cybersecurity Researcher Discovers Yet Another Flaw in Georgia’s Voter Cancellation Portal
Georgia Recorder – Georgia election board clears county officials to delay vote certification with information demands
The Guardian – New Georgia rules let local boards withhold election certification
Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington (CREW) – Georgia’s election certification amendment risks electoral chaos
Groups Taking Action:
Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington (CREW), ACLU GA, Common Cause GA
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