Georgia Attorney General Brad Raffensperger in November 2022 (Creative Commons)
The lead counsel for the office of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) shut down the Justice Department's effort to target election officials with prosecution if non-citizens were to vote.
Typically, when someone who isn't allowed to vote casts a ballot, they are held accountable, not the local staff.
Democracy Docket reported on Wednesday that the DOJ's threat to all U.S. states got a response from Raffensperger's office that made it clear Georgia already has mechanisms in place to ensure all registered voters in the state are verified as U.S. citizens. In fact, most states have such an effort.
This week, Republicans were furious after New Jersey said that 6,600 non-citizens registered to vote as a result of a Motor Vehicle Commission software glitch, a local report explained. The incident happened ahead of Gov. Mikie Sherrill's (D-N.J.) time in office, but it was never announced to the public.
She criticized former Gov. Phil Murphy, a fellow Democrat, saying there was a “lack of transparency,” and promised to “hold accountable” people responsible for the error.
The way the software worked was that the individual applying for a driver's license was asked whether they were a citizen. Those who answered "no" were still automatically registered to vote. The software was supposed to not register those people.
In Georgia, Raffensperger's general counsel explained that their state works differently. In fact, the counsel said Georgia is known for its citizenship verification in voter registration.
“Georgia is a recognized leader in citizenship verification that ensures only U.S. citizens vote in our elections,” the letter reads. “State law requires proof of citizenship to vote, and any application for voter registration must be accompanied by documentation of U.S. citizenship. Because Georgia is 100 percent REAL ID compliant, everyone who has a driver's license or state identification card has proven their citizenship or legal immigration status to the Department of Driver Services."
Raffensperger's office also said that they perform regular citizenship audits, most recently this year.
Republicans have pounced on the recent New Jersey story, saying it proves why Trump's Safeguard American Voter Eligibility America Act is so necessary. In New Jersey, non-citizens can obtain a REAL ID by showing residency documents.
Raffensperger's office said that in his state, to get a REAL ID, one must provide documentation proving residency and citizenship. A voter must then provide one of the six photo ID options to cast a ballot. If they don't have one of those, they can obtain a special photo ID card for voting, according to the Secretary of State website.