Georgia wants prove of citizenship upfront when people register to vote. (photo by Susanna Capelouto)
Secretary of State Brian Kemp decided to go through the courts rather than risk rejection from the U.S. Justice Department. Georgia needs approval of any changes to voting laws because of the Voting Right Act.
Kemp says if Georgia wins in court, those wanting to vote for the first time need to get their citizenship papers ready.
“If they are first time register they will have to verify their prove of citizenship. So if it’s a voter registration drive they still gonna have to show that verification. “
And that needs to be done by the county registrar’s office.
Opponents of the law say it will suppress poor and minority voters by essentially making it impossible to hold any large scale voter registration drives.
