SR563: SR563 Georgia Secretary of State; request of the United States Department of Justice to securely produce Georgia's voter registration list; urge

26 LC 47 3808 Senate Resolution 563 By: Senators Robertson of the 29th, Anavitarte of the 31st, Brass of the 6th, Bearden of the 30th and Watson of the 11th ADOPTED SENATE A RESOLUTION Urging the Georgia Secretary of State to immediately and fully comply with the request of1 the United States Department of Justice to securely produce Georgia's voter registration list,2 in compliance with Georgia's obligations under the National Voter Registration Act, the Help3 America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1960; and for other purposes.4 WHEREAS, Congress enacted the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help5 America Vote Act (HAVA) in an effort to ensure that all 50 stat es and other jurisdictions6 have effective and secure voter registration and voter list mai ntenance programs, both of7 which are critical to ensuring fair and secure elections for local, state, and federal offices; and8 WHEREAS, NVRA requires states, including Georgia, to "conduct a general program that9 makes a reasonable effort to remove the names of ineligible voters from the official lists of10 eligible voters" by reason of death or change in residence; and11 WHEREAS, subject to limited exceptions, NVRA also requires states, including Georgia,12 to maintain "all records concerning the implementation of programs and activities conducted13 for the purpose of ensuring the accuracy and currency of official lists of eligible voters"; and14 S. R. 563 - 1 - 26 LC 47 3808 WHEREAS, HAVA requires states, including Georgia, to maintain and administer "a single,15 uniform, official, centralized, interactive computerized statewide voter registration list" that16 contains "the name and registration information of every legally registered voter in the State17 and assigns a unique identifier to each legally registered voter in the State"; and18 WHEREAS, HAVA prohibits states, including Georgia, from processing voter registration19 applications without obtaining and verifyi ng identifying inform ation from applicants for20 registration, including, when available, a driver's license number, the last four digits of the21 applicant's social security number, or, in the absence of such information, a unique identifier;22 and23 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Justice is charged wit h the enforcement of24 these laws; and25 WHEREAS, on March 25, 2025, the President of the United States issued an executive order26 entitled, "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections"; and27 WHEREAS, the executive order, among other actions, directed the Attorney General of the28 United States to ensure states' compliance with NVRA and HAVA and to "take appropriate29 action with respect to States that fail to comply with the list maintenance requirements of"30 NVRA and HAVA; and31 WHEREAS, the Attorney General of the United States has since stated that "[a]ccurate voter32 rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too m any states have fallen into a33 pattern of noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance"; and34 S. R. 563 - 2 - 26 LC 47 3808 WHEREAS, this past summer, the Civil Rights Division of the Dep artment of Justice35 requested that numerous states, including Georgia, securely provide the Department with a36 full voter registration list in order to ensure that the state is meeting its responsibilities under37 NVRA and HAVA; and38 WHEREAS, Georgia's Secretary of State has refused to comply with multiple requests for39 this information in full; and40 WHEREAS, as a result of the Secretary's refusals, the Department of Justice recently filed41 suit against the Secretary in federal court under NVRA, HAVA, and the Civil Rights Act of42 1960 seeking to compel secure production of Georgia's full voter registration list; and43 WHEREAS, the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee have voluntarily agreed to44 provide their full registration lists to the Department of Justice, while the Georgia Secretary45 of State has joined chief elections officers in jurisdictions s uch as Colorado, Delaware,46 Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, and the47 District of Columbia in refusing to comply with the Department's request; and48 WHEREAS, these actions by the Secretary and his like-minded cou nterparts in other49 jurisdictions are obstructing the efforts of the Attorney General of the United States to carry50 out the directives of the President's March, 2025, executive or der relating to election51 integrity; and52 WHEREAS, the Secretary's refusal to comply with the Department of Justice's request is the53 latest example of a pattern of behavior by the Secretary and his office to refuse oversight of54 his administration of Georgia's elections, which includes his refusal on numerous occasions55 to personally appear before the Senate Ethics Committee and the Senate Appropriations56 S. R. 563 - 3 - 26 LC 47 3808 Committee and his and his office's willful and persistent obstr uction of the Georgia State57 Election Board in its efforts to ensure that Georgia's elections are secure and that Georgia's58 election integrity laws are properly administered and enforced.59 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the Secretary of State is60 urged to immediately and fully comply with the request of the United States Department of61 Justice to securely produce Georgia's voter registration list, in compliance with Georgia's62 obligations under the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the63 Civil Rights Act of 1960.64 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed65 to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for dis tribution to the Secretary of66 State, the members of the State Election Board, the President o f the United States, the67 Attorney General of the United States, and the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.68 S. 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