Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Seeking Voter Information from Georgia
By JEFF AMY and CHARLOTTE KRAMON
A federal judge in Georgia has dismissed a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit seeking voter information from the state, citing that the federal government had sued in the wrong city. U.S. District Judge Ashley Royal found that the government should have sued Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in Atlanta, rather than in a separate federal judicial district in Macon, where the secretary of state also has an office.
Background on the Lawsuit
The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against 24 states and the District of Columbia seeking voter information as part of its effort to collect detailed voting data, including dates of birth and driver’s license and Social Security numbers. A federal judge in California rejected the lawsuit against that state on privacy grounds, while a judge in Oregon has suggested he may dismiss the case there. The Trump administration characterizes the lawsuits as an effort to ensure election security, and the Justice Department says the states are violating federal law by refusing to provide voter lists and information.
Georgia’s Stance on Voter Information
Raffensperger has been a rare Republican to decline the demand, stating that Georgia law prohibits the release of voters’ confidential personal information unless certain qualifications are met. Raffensperger argues that the federal government hasn’t met those conditions. He says he shared the public part of the voter roll and information about how Georgia removes ineligible or outdated registrations in December. “I will always follow the law and follow the Constitution,” Raffensperger said in a statement. “I won’t violate the oath I took to stand up for the people of this state, regardless of who or what compels me to do otherwise.”
Implications for Raffensperger’s Run for Governor
The refusal to hand over the records has become an issue in Raffensperger’s 2026 run for governor. Raffensperger in January 2021 famously refused a demand from President Donald Trump in a phone call to “find” enough votes to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s win in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. Many Trump-loving Republicans still hold a grudge against Raffensperger. State Sen. Randy Robertson, a Republican from Cataula, filed a resolution calling on Raffensperger to hand over the data, citing it as the “latest example of a pattern of behavior by the secretary and his office to refuse oversight of his administration of Georgia’s elections.”
Next Steps
The dismissal of the lawsuit without prejudice means that the Justice Department can refile it. The department declined to comment on the matter. Robertson expressed frustration with the dismissal, stating that even if the Justice Department refiles the lawsuit, the problem will take longer to resolve. “As public officials, we all should participate in any investigation done by a law enforcement agency,” Robertson told The Associated Press. For more information on this developing story, visit Here
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