Georgia to purge over 300,000 voters from rolls ahead of 2020 election

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A planned purge of 300,000 names from voting rolls in Georgia has advocates concerned that efforts to slash access to the ballot could re-emerge as a major issue heading into 2020.

The purge was announced this past week by officials in the state, who cast the effort as a routine part of ensuring that voting rolls are up to date, and that individuals who have died or moved away are no longer capable of voting in the state.

The figure amounts to roughly 4 per cent of the registered voters in the state, which gained notoriety for alleged voter intimidation in 2018 that may have directly impacted the results of the governor’s race.

This is “a routine process that every state does,” said Walter Jones, a spokesman for the Georgia secretary of state’s voter education programme.

Voters identified by the purge will now receive a letter to their last known address, and must respond using one of several forms of communication to ensure they remain on the ballot.

Mr Jones claimed that these purges have occurred for years, and that they are overseen by Democratic and Republican establishments.

But advocates are wary of the efforts, especially after the 2018 election in which now-governor Brian Kemp beat out Democrat Stacey Abrams by 1.4 per cent of the vote – a slim margin in the state.

Observers of that election note that Mr Kemp’s official position during that election was as Georgia’s secretary of state, which meant he was overseeing his own election. Voter purges in the state drew accusations that Mr Kemp was targeting areas that were more likely to vote for Democrats.

Among those advocacy groups pushing back is Fair Fight Action, which was established by Ms Abrams following the 2018 election.

“Voters should not lose their right to vote simply because they have decided not to express that right in recent elections,” said Lauren Groh-Wargo, the organisation’s chief executive officer, in a statement. “Anytime a voter purge is conducted, errors can be made, including active voters being wrongly included on the list.”

Voting rights organisations are also monitoring voting access in several other swing states across the country, including Florida and Ohio.