Civil rights groups say new Georgia voting rules have made it too easy to challenge the eligibility of people living in nursing homes, college dormitories and military facilities, and will make it more difficult for homeless people to register to vote.
The new rules are included in a broader law, signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in May, that makes it easier for U.S. citizens to challenge somebody’s eligibility to vote.
The law says there is probable cause to challenge a person’s voting eligibility if that person lives at a “nonresidential address” – a category that might include shelters, nursing homes, dorms and other places that show up as “nonresidential” under local zoning laws, according to critics. The provision took effect in July, so it can be used to challenge people’s eligibility to vote in the upcoming election.
The law also states that in order to register, homeless people without a permanent address must collect election-related mail at the registrar’s office in the county where they live. Other Georgians are allowed to receive election-related mail wherever they choose. That provision takes effect in January, so it won’t have an effect on eligibility to vote in the upcoming election.
Last month, the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP and Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda Inc., a voting rights coalition, filed a lawsuit against the state, arguing that the two provisions violate the voting rights of Georgians who are homeless or housing insecure.