Judge rules in favor of voter citizenship requirements
A federal judge upheld Georgia’s citizenship verification requirements for new Americans, dismissing the case midway through the trial Thursday after three days of testimony.
U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross granted a directed verdict in court, finding that the plaintiffs failed to prove that the voting rights of naturalized citizens are violated when they have to show papers or get a new state ID before they can vote.
The quick ruling brings an abrupt end to a lawsuit that has been pending since 2018 over state laws that prevent new citizens from casting ballots until they show that they’re eligible.
Attorneys for Georgia said in court this week that citizenship checks are needed to prevent the possibility of illegal voting. Zero noncitizens have voted in recent elections, according to a 2022 audit by the secretary of state’s office.
“Ensuring that only U.S. citizens vote in our elections is critically important to secure and accurate elections,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the defendant in the case. “Georgia’s citizenship verification process is common sense, and it works. With this ruling, we are able to continue ensuring that only U.S. citizens are voting in our elections.”
An attorney for the voting rights groups that had sued said voters should ensure their registrations are active and valid.
“We’re very disappointed in the outcome of the trial,” said Julie Houk, an attorney for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which represented plaintiffs including the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda. “We encourage anyone who … hasn’t had an opportunity to be put in active status on the voter rolls to immediately take steps to change that” by contacting their county elections office.
During this week’s trial, witnesses included three voters who said they had to jump through hoops before they were allowed to vote.
But the defense showed that all of those voters were eventually able to vote after they overcame hurdles to registering with county election officials who didn’t properly process citizenship paperwork.
Ross, an appointee of President Barack Obama, found that Georgia’s elections are open to all citizens and that the state has an interest in ensuring that only citizens are allowed to vote.
All Georgia voters must show ID before they can cast a ballot in each election.