Kemp’s “Exact Match” Voter ID Policy Yet Another Example of His Blatant Attempts to Suppress the Vote

Brian Kemp Must Resign The Office of Secretary of State

ATLANTA — Today, the Associated Press revealed that on the last day of voter registration, over 53,000 voter applications remain sitting on hold with the Secretary of State’s office. Nearly seventy percent of those registrations are from African-American voters. This new report shows the direct impact of Brian Kemp’s suppressive “exact match” voter ID policy and the real, tangible consequences of yet another one of his blatant attempts to suppress the vote.

From the AP:

“According to records obtained from Kemp’s office through a public records request, Appling-Nunez’s application —like many of the 53,000 registrations on hold with Kemp’s office — was flagged because it ran afoul of the state’s “exact match” verification process.

Under the policy, information on voter applications must precisely match information on file with the Georgia Department of Driver Services or the Social Security Administration. Election officials can place non-matching applications on hold.

An application could be held because of an entry error or a dropped hyphen in a last name, for example.

Appling-Nunez says she never saw any notice from Kemp’s office indicating a problem with her application.”

The report shows that nearly 70 percent of the 53,000 voter registrations are from African-American voters.

Again, from the Associated Press:

“An analysis of the records obtained by The Associated Press reveals racial disparity in the process. Georgia’s population is approximately 32 percent black, according to the U.S. Census, but the list of voter registrations on hold with Kemp’s office is nearly 70 percent black.”

Whether it’s purging over 1.4 million voter registrations since 2012, closing 214 polling locations, or implementing suppressive policies such as “exact match,” Brian Kemp has proven yet again that he will do everything in his power to prevent Georgians from exercising their basic constitutional right to vote. To protect the sanctity of the vote and ensure the integrity of the election, Brian Kemp must resign the Secretary of State’s office.

In the meantime, voters in Georgia who have questions about voting or who witness voter suppression can contact the Democratic Party of Georgia’s voter protection hotline at 1-888-730-5816.

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