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ATLANTA – When Secretary of State Brian Kemp took his oath of office, he swore to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the laws of our state. Much misinformation has recently flooded the media regarding Georgia's participation in providing voter information to the Trump administration. Under state law, parts of the voter registration rolls are public. Through a simple request, any individual can get a copy of the state-wide voter file after paying $250. During the last 18 months alone, over 600 groups have taken advantage of this service provided by our office.
On June 28, 2017, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office received a request from the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity for state voter roll information. In accordance with state law, Secretary Kemp has agreed to provide the public voter list to the Presidential Advisory Commission following payment of $250. This practice is consistent with the agency’s handling of all other requests for the public voter list. Click here to read this document.
The list can be purchased online, and you can request a city, county, or state voter list. The complete list of recipients is available here. For example, the following entities have requested, paid for, and received some or all of Georgia’s public voter list within the past eighteen months: Advancement Project, Atlanta Regional Commission, Bryan Cave LLP, Catalist, DataTrust, Emory University, Harvard University, Judicial Watch, Landmark Communications, ProGeorgia, Southern Center for Human Rights, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Center for American Progress, The Democratic Party of Georgia, The Georgia Republican Party, The Libertarian Party of Georgia, The New Georgia Project, The New York Times, The University of Georgia, and The University of Notre Dame.
Media reports that over forty states have denied the commission’s request are not only misleading but false. As of July 7, 2017, a survey by the National Association of Secretaries of State www.nass.org shows that twenty-five states have agreed to comply, in whole or in part; thirteen states and the District of Columbia have denied the request for voter information; and twelve states are undecided.
In Georgia, the public list does not contain a registered voter's driver's license number, social security number, month and day of birth, site of voter registration, phone number, or email address. Georgia does not ask for a voter's political affiliation when someone registers to vote. Although voter history is public record, the only information in voter history is whether a person voted in an election. In primary elections, the political party primary in which a voter votes is recorded and public. It is not possible to determine any specific vote – for or against a candidate or referendum – cast by a voter in any election or primary.
Brian Kemp has been Secretary of State since January 2010. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting secure, accessible, and fair elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities, charities, and professional licensing.
For more information about the office, go to www.sos.ga.gov.