ATLANTA — Several Georgia Republican senators introduced a resolution Tuesday demanding that Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger comply with the Trump administration’s pursuit of the state’s unredacted voter registration list.
Raffensperger objected to the effort, saying state law prevents sharing voters’ private information such as full Social Security numbers, dates of birth and driver’s license numbers.
The U.S. Department of Justice has requested voter lists from all 50 states in recent months, saying it wants to ensure accurate registration information. The DOJ sued Georgia for the statewide voter list last month.
The Senate resolution comes from allies of Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is running for governor against Raffensperger. The resolution is largely symbolic and doesn’t carry the force of a law.
It accuses Raffensperger of “willful and persistent obstruction” after his office provided a public version of Georgia’s voter list to the U.S. Department of Justice
“All I’m asking from our duly elected secretary of state is to participate in any legally established investigation, like any other citizen would be required to do,” said state Sen. Randy Robertson, a Republican from Cataula and the sponsor of Senate Resolution 563. “The Department of Justice is the highest-ranking law enforcement agency in the United States, and they absolutely have the right to investigate when they choose.”
Raffensperger’s office said it has already complied with the DOJ’s request “to the fullest extent of state law,” citing concerns that private voter information could be shared by the DOJ with outside parties.
“Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger swore an oath to uphold the law and act in the best interests of hardworking Georgians. He will not break the law, compromise private information, or risk identity theft for millions of voters,” said a statement from the secretary of state’s office.
Besides Georgia, the Department of Justice has also sued several Democrat-run states that have refused to comply with the DOJ’s request for voter records. Republican-controlled states such as Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee have agreed to provide full voter registration lists.
The DOJ’s lawsuit against Georgia is scheduled for a hearing in federal court in Macon later this month.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat, an initiative of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.