Federal law requires that potential voters who register to vote had their ID statistics checked against the state’s or Social Security Administration’s voter registration information. However, Georgians who do n’t have a driver’s license or social security number or who submit one that matches poorly with government databases may still be able to cast a ballot using a low-security, non-photographic document like a “utility bill” or “bank statement”
States are required to check voter registration information from each individual against the information that the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles database holds in accordance with the Help America Vote Act ( HAVA ). For people lacking a pilot’s license, another system is designed to evaluate the voter’s info against Social Security information.
Technically, checking a child’s Police records may include checking to see whether he indicated to the Dot that he is or is not a member. Importantly, having a pilot’s license or a Social Security number does not automatically mean that you are a citizen because foreigners are able to get either. Georgia has an estimated 339, 000 illegal foreigners residing in the position, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Registrants with No Driver’s License or SSN
On July 17, I first contacted Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s department and asked what would happen if a person attempted to file in Georgia but was unable to provide either their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number.
A possible voter may “be in an ID required pending status,” according to Robert Sinners, a spokesman for Raffensperger’s office, but they would need to provide proof before casting a ballot. The procedure is outlined in Title 21 very completely”.
In part, Title 21 specifies that those who do not have a Georgia driver’s license number, identification number, card amount, or the final four digits of their Social Security number had “affirm this truth in the manner prescribed in the voter registration application, and for application may get processed without regard to the procedures outlined in” the next section of the statute.
I emailed Raffensperger’s team to inquire whether the state has “additional mechanisms in place to verify citizenship status other than” Title 21.
Sinners reassured me on July 23 that I was not being forgotten because the state may be subject to” the left over Georgia’s best-in-the-nation identity and citizenship checks,” so we must first have everything verified legal before releasing it to the media.
On July 25 and 26, I requested a timeline for a response from Legal, and I was informed that they anticipated an answer right away. Despite numerous inquiries via both email and phone, I called county election officials to inquire about their procedures because I have yet to receive an answer.
I called the Carroll County Board of Elections and Registration first, where I spoke with Will Hobson, the election administration manager. He explained that a voter who registered by mail but did not provide a Social Security number or driver’s license identification number could vote with a note stating that he is an IDR ( ID required ) voter.
IDR voters are defined as those who “registered for]the]first time by mail but did not provide the required identification when appearing to vote,” according to a Georgia poll worker manual that The Federalist reviewed.
According to Hobson,” What the code says is that they’re allowed to provide another form of identification… that’s for the residency status.” ” They’re also supposed to provide a form of government-issued photo ID”.
However, the manual states that” these voters may provide additional forms of identification verification.” Those “additional forms” as listed in the manual include documents like utility bills, bank statements, or paychecks. What appears to be the same procedure is explained in a bulletin posted to the county website of Effingham County.
Tate Fall, the director of Cobb County Elections and Voter Registration, stated that when someone registers to vote but does n’t provide either their driver’s license identification numbers or their final four digits, the system will flag their application, requiring that officials provide “additional identification” to cast ballots.
( Additionally, for any voter, the voter ID law Georgia passed in 2021 requires applicants for absentee ballots to provide their driver’s license number, or — if they do n’t have one —” a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of such elector”. )
Registrants whose provided ID number Returns a Mismatch
If a person requests a ballot for the first time in a federal, state, or local election and submits an ID number, name, or date of birth that does not match state or Social Security records, Title 21 allows them to “nevertheless be registered to vote,” but it requires a voter to “prove his or her identity at or before the time that such applicant requests a ballot for the first time in any federal, state, or local election.”
According to the statute, such “proof” includes a “utility bill” or “bank statement”, among other options.
But utility bills, among other listed forms of acceptable documents, are considerably lower-tech than DMV or Social Security records. Furthermore, while these documents might confirm a person’s residency, they do not confirm details about him ( felon status, citizenship, etc. ) that are necessary to determine his voting eligibility.
Hobson stated that people who provide a driver’s license identification number, Social Security number, or a state identification card without matching any state records would be subject to pending status until they brought an additional form of identification to vote.
Additionally, the registration form includes an oath that is legally binding and requires them to verify their citizenship. So it’s essentially an affidavit”, Hobson said.
A number of leftist organizations filed a lawsuit against Governor in 2018. County registrars are required to “enter information from a voter registration form into Georgia’s statewide voter registration system known as” Enet,” according to a bill passed in 2017. … If the information entered into’ Enet’ does not exactly match the applicant’s identity data on file with]Georgia Department of Driver’s Services ] or]Social Security Administration], the application is placed in’ pending’ status”, at which point the voter has 26 months to resolve the discrepancy.
This explanation supports Hobson’s claim that a voter’s voter registration application is “pending” status until he submits a copy of a utility bill or bank statement.
The Georgia Department of Driver Services may “flag the applicant as a potential non-citizen” when the voter’s registration is compared to DDS records, according to the lawsuit.
Although the secretary of state’s website’s” Frequently Asked Questions” section suggests some would-be voters may receive a “notice that my voter application is pending because my citizenship information did n’t match the records at the Department of Driver Services,” Georgia does not require voters to submit documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. The webpage’s response contains a link to a second page with “acceptable documents for citizenship” information. That page says if the listed documentation” cannot be obtained” then “documentation may be provided by a written affidavit, signed under penalty of perjury, from two citizens … establishing the person in question’s citizenship status”. The prospective voter “must also submit an affidavit outlining the reasons the documents are unavailable” or “another knowledgeable individual.”
A provisional ballot should be issued if an elector is listed on the electors list as a potential non-citizen and the voter does not present a proof of citizenship with them, according to the poll worker manual.
I asked Raffensperger’s office via email the following questions but received no response:
What is required for a voter to receive a notice of this nature? Title 21 says a person whose name ,]driver’s license number] ,]Social Security Number ] or]Date of Birth ] does n’t match DMV records or]Social Security Administration ] records has to provide a utility bill ( or another listed form of identity ). So what should be wrong with a person’s application to trigger the stricter requirement that he provide proof of citizenship?
Will voters be revoked if they fail to present one of these documents proving citizenship?
How many notices has the GASOS sent out this year]regarding]: unmatched citizenship verification?
For voters who provide neither their SSN, driver’s license ID, or GA state ID, Title 21 states so long as they provide proof of identity, like a utility bill, they can register to vote/vote. Can you confirm whether that is a precise understanding of Title 21?
Is this understanding correct? If one of the aforementioned forms of identification is submitted but there is no matching information in the system, the voter will be assigned to IDR status ( ID required ). They can cast a regular ballot if something, such as a utility bill. If they ca n’t, they can cast a provisional ballot and have the opportunity to return the required document within three days. Additionally, their provisional ballot will not be counted if they do n’t turn in a utility bill or other document within three days.
The Secretary of State’s office again ignored my inquiry.
Brianna Lyman is a correspondent for The Federalist on elections. With a degree in International Political Economy, Brianna received her degree from Fordham University. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2
