Georgia Settles Lawsuit To Offer Voter Registration to Public Assistance Recipients
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The state of Georgia has settled a lawsuit with a coalition of voting rights groups to enforce a requirement in the federal National Voter Registration Act to offer the opportunity to register to vote to anyone applying for state public assistance or disability support.
The settlement is the latest in a string of victories for voting rights advocates who have sued state after state for essentially abandoning the NVRA's public assistance agency requirements. Instead, these states have argued that the opportunity to register to vote at motor vehicle agencies is enough to satisfy the law--which has been resoundingly rejected by federal courts, prompting the settlements.
Georgia's NVRA compliance record was particularly bad, according to the latest report to Congress on NVRA implementation by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The report says that between 2009-2010, Georgia had an estimated 6.7 million eligible voters, of which 5.7 million, or 86 percent, were registered. Of those registrations, 279 were done at state public assistance agencies, 19 at disability service agencies, and 569 at other state agencies.
"In the past several years, lawsuits filed by voting rights groups have forced other states that had been violating the NVRA to comply, with dramatic results," said Sarah Massey, a spokesperson for Project Vote, one of the groups that sued. "For example, voter registration applications from Missouri public assistance agencies skyrocketed, from fewer than 8,000 a year to an average of 115,000 per year, following settlement of a suit in that state in 2008. More than 380,000 low-income Ohioans have applied to register since a similar case was settled there at the end of 2009. Settlements were also reached in New Mexico and Indiana."
“This settlement is a major step in modernizing our registration system for public assistance applicants, who increasingly interact with agencies through internet-based and telephone transactions,” says Neil Steiner, a partner with the law firm of Dechert LLP. “Voting is a fundamental right in the United States and we are pleased to assist in ensuring that it is available to all those who are eligible.”
The other litigation partners included the Georgia State Conference for the NAACP, The Coalition for the People's Agenda, The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Demos, The American Civil Liberties Union, and pro bono counsel.
Link to original article from AlterNet
States - Georgia
Georgia Articles
No Freedom in Atlanta’s Freedom Park for Cannabis Activists
Neither soaking rain nor the lack of permit from the City of Atlanta prevented advocates for the legalization of cannabis--commonly known as marijuana--from speaking out at the Great Atlanta Pot Festival 2013. Paul Cornwell, Atlanta Coalition for the Abolition of Marijuana Prohibition (CAMP), and the festival organizer, was turned down for a permit to hold the festival at Hurt Street and Euclid Avenue in the Inman Park area. He was earlier denied a permit to hold the festival in Freedom Park. The Coalition for the Abolition of Marijuana Prohibition Legal Defense Fund filed...
Gloria Tatum | Atlanta Progressive News 12 May 2013 Hits:145 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia Governor Derides Effort to End Whites-Only Prom
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Alex Kane | AlterNet 15 Apr 2013 Hits:432 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia high school students fight to end segregated prom
Four girls in Rochelle, Ga. are fighting to do in their hometown what the Civil Rights Act was meant to do for all of America in 1964: end segregation. WSAV in Georgia reports that Wilcox County High School holds two proms for its students: a whites-only prom, and an integrated prom. WSAV notes that the school has never had a fully inclusive prom in its history. Best friends Stephanie Sinnot, Mareshia Rucker, Quanesha Wallace and Keela Bloodworth are trying to change that. “We are all friends,” said Sinnot. “That’s just kind of...
Prachi Gupta | Salon.com 05 Apr 2013 Hits:384 Georgia
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Annie-Rose Strasser | ThinkProgress 02 Apr 2013 Hits:309 Georgia
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Valerie Strauss | The Washington Post 02 Apr 2013 Hits:236 Georgia
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Greg Peterson 24 Mar 2013 Hits:535 Georgia
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Energy provider Dominion has signed a deal to take over a planned solar energy project in east-central Georgia that will have Cobb Electric Membership Corp. as its customer. The 40-acre solar project, called the Azalea Solar Power Facility, will be on farmland and forest acreage about 60 miles southwest of Augusta. The plant will produce about 7.7 megawatts of electricity using photovoltaic technology. Dominion said it has a 25-year purchase power agreement with Cobb EMC, which serves about 176,000 customers. “When we can add renewable energy...
Christopher Sewart | Atlanta Journal Constitution 06 Mar 2013 Hits:303 Georgia
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Tim Murphy | Mother Jones 16 Feb 2013 Hits:407 Georgia
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Read moreNC NAACP Statement on Court Ruling on John McNeil Case
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Rev Dr William J Barber and Atty Al McSurey | NC NAACP 29 Sep 2012 Hits:745 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia and USA voter suppression, voter ID laws, felon disenfranchisement, groups fight f…
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26 Sep 2012 Hits:825 Georgia
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Read moreNAACP leaders want freedom for John McNeil
NAACP leaders on Monday again demanded the release of a black man imprisoned after shooting a white man on the shooter's property. The activists said John McNeil's conviction was proof that self-defense laws, which McNeil cited in his 2006 trial, are not applied equally to all races in the United States. McNeil is serving a life sentence for the 2005 shooting death of Brian Epp, whom he had hired as a contractor on his Kennesaw home. "Something is wrong here. Morally wrong. Legally wrong," said the Rev. William Barber II, an NAACP...
Bill Barlow | Associated Press 10 Sep 2012 Hits:625 Georgia
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05 Sep 2012 Hits:1728 Georgia
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Edward DuBose | Georgia NAACP 24 Aug 2012 Hits:792 Georgia
Read moreCivil rights leaders will speak at the "Stand for Peace 10th Anniversary" This Friday
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Terence Dicks 23 Aug 2012 Hits:604 Georgia
Read moreNational "Stop Plant Vogtle Week of Action"
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Terence Dicks 23 Aug 2012 Hits:584 Georgia
Read moreAugusta National attempts to enter modern era But has long way to go before hitting the m…
Augusta National admits women and only admitted blacks in 1990 due to sponsor pressure It's about time. While admitting women is a long overdue stroke - do not expect me to praise the Masters Mecca because it is finally attempting to enter the modern era. Don't be fooled - it's an extremely snobbish, exclusive club that will never welcome even the moderately rich - unless you can buy the expensive tickets. Financial backers of the national were upset by the negative publicity - just like when they finally admitted African Americans http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/augusta-national-gains-stature-by-admitting-condoleezza-rice-darla-moore/2012/08/20/3f2f97ca-eb01-11e1-b811-09036bcb182b_story.html The Augusta National...
Terence Dicks | PDA Georgia 21 Aug 2012 Hits:988 Georgia
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Terence Dicks | PDA Georgia 19 Jun 2012 Hits:809 Georgia
Read moreKKK Chapter Wants to Adopt-a-Highway. Will Georgia Let Them?
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Sarah Seltzer | Sourced from AlterNet 12 Jun 2012 Hits:649 Georgia
Read moreDozens of Police Evict Georgia Family at Gunpoint at 3am
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Steve Rosenfeld | AlterNet 06 May 2012 Hits:1029 Georgia
Read moreState Sen. Nan Orrock bids adieu to controversial conservative think tank
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Thomas Wheatley | Atlanta Creative Loafing 21 Apr 2012 Hits:812 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia, Out Migrant Workers, Turns to Prison Labor
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Common Dreams Staff 20 Apr 2012 Hits:972 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia Settles Lawsuit To Offer Voter Registration to Public Assistance Recipients
The state of Georgia has settled a lawsuit with a coalition of voting rights groups to enforce a requirement in the federal National Voter Registration Act to offer the opportunity to register to vote to anyone applying for state public assistance or disability support. The settlement is the latest in a string of victories for voting rights advocates who have sued state after state for essentially abandoning the NVRA's public assistance agency requirements. Instead, these states have argued that the opportunity to register...
Steven Rosenfeld | Sourced from AlterNet 19 Apr 2012 Hits:1093 Georgia
Read moreWhen “stand your ground” fails
John McNeil killed a white man who assaulted him on his property. But, unlike George Zimmerman, he's serving life As the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and the failure of authorities to arrest his killer, George Zimmerman, continues to grab headlines, many conservatives and gun rights advocates insist that race has nothing to do with it. Some have also rallied to the defense of Florida’s “stand your ground” law, the self-defense legislation under which Zimmerman was able to avoid arrest. Yet not all stand your ground...
Rania Khalek | Salon.com 12 Apr 2012 Hits:1118 Georgia
Read moreProposed Ben Hill Coal Plant Cancelled
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Sierra Club 10 Apr 2012 Hits:601 Georgia
Read moreAt 11th Hour, Georgia Passes "Women As Livestock" Bill
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Lauren Barbato M.S. Magazine 04 Apr 2012 Hits:2225 Georgia
Read moreDownwardly Mobile: One Man's View of How Georgia Undermines Its Unemployed
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George Bauer | AlterNet 03 Apr 2012 Hits:582 Georgia
Read moreHans Von Spakovsky’s False Conclusions About Georgia’s Voter ID Impacts
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Bretin Mock | ColorLines 31 Mar 2012 Hits:696 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia’s Statewide Undocumented Students College Ban Fails
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Julianne Hing | Sourced from Colorlines | Alternet 31 Mar 2012 Hits:742 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia lawmakers pass abortion bill on last, emotional day
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Kristina Torres and Christopher Quinn | Atlanta Journal-Constitution 30 Mar 2012 Hits:812 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia Republicans …
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Georgia Politico’s Dustin Baker writes of a high-ranking Georgia Democratic Party official lending his support to the 99 Percent Movement. Yesterday, Russell Edwards, the Georgia Democratic Party’s Treasurer and co-host of…
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Direct from the Democratic Party of Georgia
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| Mon May 27, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM PDA ERA 3 State Strategy Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 787085# |
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PDA is organized around several core issues. These issues include:
- End Corporate Rule
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- Stop Global Warming
- End Mass Criminalization
- Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections
- Stop Voter Suppression
Each team hosts a monthly conference call. Calls feature legislators, staffers and other policy experts. On these calls we determine PDA legislation to support as well as actions and future events.
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GA Legislators with ALEC Ties
House of Representatives
- Rep. Calvin Hill, Jr. (R-21), ALEC State Chairman,[17][66] Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force and International Relations Task Force member[28] and recipient of ALEC's 2011 State Chair of the Year Award[1]
- Rep. Don L. Parsons (R-42); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Rep. David S. Casas (R-103); Education Task Force
- Rep. Doug Collins (R-27); Civil Justice Task Force
- Rep. Edward H. Lindsey, Jr. (R-54); Civil Justice Task Force
- Rep. Ed Setzler (R-35); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Rep. Larry E. O'Neal (R-146); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-41)[17]; Health and Human Services Task Force
- Rep. Ben L. Harbin (R-118); International Relations Task Force
- Rep. Gerald E. Greene (R-149); International Relations Task Force
- Rep. Josh S. Clark (R-98); International Relations Task Force
- Rep. Jack Murphy (R-27); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Mark D. Hamilton (R-23); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Tom R. Rice (R-51)[17]; Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Donna Sheldon (R-105)[17]; Health and Human Services Task Force
- Rep. Judy Manning (R-32); Health and Human Services Task Force
- Rep. Lynn Smith (R-70); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Rep. Michael Harden (R-28); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Rep. Charlice Byrd (R-20)[17]; Health and Human Services Task Force
- Rep. Howard R. Maxwell (R-17); Education Task Force
- Rep. Jan Jones (R-46); Education Task Force
- Rep. Charles E. Martin, Jr. (R-47); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Rep. Kip Smith (R-129); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Rep. James W. Mills (R-25)[17]; Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Rep. Mike Dudgeon (R-24); Education Task Force
- Rep. Carl Rogers (R-26); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Rep. Terry England (R-108); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Rep. Paulette Rakestraw-Braddock (R-19); International Relations Task Force
- Rep. Billy S. Horne (R-71); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Kevin Cooke (R-18); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Lynne Riley (R-50); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Rep. Buzz Brockway (R-101); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Rep. Barry D. Loudermilk (R-14); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Rep. Amos Amerson (R-9)[17]
- Rep. John Meadows (R-5)[17]
- Rep. James Mills (R-25)[17]
Senate
- Sen. Chip Pearson (R-51)[20]
- Sen. Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-21),[17][20] ALEC State Chairman,[67] and recipient of ALEC's 2011 State Chair of the Year Award[1]
- Former Sen. John Wiles (R-37), former State Chairman[68]
- Sen. Don Balfour (R-9) [69]
- Sen. Jesse Stone (R-23); Civil Justice Task Force
- Sen. William Hamrick (R-30); Civil Justice Task Force
- Sen. Renee Unterman (R-45)[17]; Health and Human Services Task Force
- Sen. Judson Hill (R-32)[17]; Health and Human Services Task Force
- Sen. Ross Tolleson (R-20); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Sen. Fran R. Millar (R-79); Education Task Force
- Sen. John E. Albers (R-56); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Sen. Nan G. Orrock (D-36); Resigned on April 17, 2012
- Sen. Bill Heath (R-31); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Sen. Jack Hill (R-4); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Sen. Steve Gooch (R-51); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Sen. Greg Goggans (R-7); Education Task Force
- Sen. Cecil P. Staton (R-18)[17]; International Relations Task Force
- Sen. Ronnie W. Chance (R-16); International Relations Task Force
- Sen. Johnny Grant (R-25); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Sen. Lee Hawkins (R-49)[17]
Former Legislators
Legislators Who Have Cut Ties To ALEC
- Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) - In a statement to the citizens’ action group Better Georgia on April 17, 2012, Orrock denounced ALEC, calling it “radical,” “dangerous” and accused it of “impeding democracy.”[1]
- “As a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council for several years, having joined ALEC with the primary goal of better understanding the corporate-dominated organization, I know first-hand that ALEC is not the innocuous organization it claims to be,” Orrock said.[1]
Information from Sourcewatch: