Federal judge finds Georgia county violated Civil Rights Act by rejecting ballots

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill




BY ARIS FOLLEY - 11/13/18 12:04 PM EST

A federal judge on Tuesday found that Gwinnett County violated the Civil Rights Act in its handling of absentee ballots during last week's midterm elections.

U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May wrote in a 17-page order that the county was found to be acting in violation of the Civil Rights Act by rejecting absentee ballots solely on the basis of an omitted or incorrect birth year.

The judge noted that although the decision arrives in the midst of “many hotly contested and highly publicized elections issues across the State,” the relief granted by the order finds the “narrow set of ballots” the court case pertains to should be counted.

The judge’s order stems from a case challenging Georgia's statutory procedures for rejecting absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots brought by plaintiffs Rhonda J. Martin, Dana Bowers, Jasmine Clark, Smythe DuVal, Jeanne Dufort, and the Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda against Robyn A. Crittenden, who currently serves as Georgia Secretary of State following the resignation of Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/416427-federal-judge-finds-georgia-county-violated-civil-rights-act-by-rejecting

[elleng]

1. Good.

The more they count, the closer we are.

[iluvtennis]

2. Bravo - excellent news!

[PatSeg]

3. Why on earth did they need voters birth year?

I don't recall ever having to do that.

[cstanleytech]

4. Because by making the process more completion it allows for throwing out ballots

and making it easier for the party currently in power to remain in power.

[PatSeg]

6. That's what I was thinking

I've used absentee ballots in California and New Hampshire. I only recall having to sign and date the envelope. California in particular was very easy and accommodating. I was able to set myself up for perpetual absentee ballots, so I didn't have to request one every election. California wants people to vote.

[Maeve]

7. We have to do that in Ohio, too

Arguably because two people can have the same name in a household but different ages (junior and senior)...but mostly to give you one more thing to mess up on and have your ballot tossed.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. When I vote in person in New Mexico,

they ask me for my name, then my birth year, then the street I live on.

In reality I'm the only "Poindexter Oglethorpe" out there, so the other two aren't needed. But in this state there's a real dearth of both first and last names, and so the other two pieces of information would almost always correctly identify which one of the many "Carlos Gonazaleses" is wanting to vote.

But that shouldn't matter on a mail in ballot.

[PatSeg]

12. Yes

I can understand a certain verification when you vote in person to make sure they have the right person, but as you said, that shouldn't matter on a mail in ballot.

[sandensea]

14. What imagery. Reminds me of that scene in the Steve Guttenberg comedy Bad Medicine.

Guttenberg, you'll recall, plays an aspiring medical student who's accepted in only one medical school - but in Central America.

Roll call comes around, and the attendance monitor goes down the list.

"Rodríguez!"

Four guys step forward. "Presente!"

"Juan Rodríguez?"

Three guys step forward.

He looks at the last Rodríguez, and says: "You must be Raúl."

[japple]

10. There is an oath on the envelope that is used by the voter to return his/her absentee ballot.

It has a line where you are supposed to record your birthdate (month/day.) There is some sort of conflict, because the rules said that it should be the birth year. Just to be on the safe side, I wrote my month/day/year. Some ballots might have been disqualified because they only wrote the month and day.

[pdsimdars]

5. Doesn't it scare anyone else that these judges are the only ones putting a halt to tRump's plans

And McConnell and the Rethugs are appointing judges right and left, thus weakening this last bulwark.

[trc]

8. I think you meant to say they are appointing judges right and righter :)

[erronis]

11. Yes it does. And this is their plan. Can't stuff congress, stuff the courts. Just stuff something!

[orangecrush]

13. Righty doesn't scare me at all.

Been fighting them since 1972.

[MichMan]

15. How does someone not know what year they were born ?

[Ilsa]

16. It's handwriting. A closed 4 can look like a 9,

a 7 can look like a 1, and other incidental markings on a form can cause a misread.

Data entry clerks can put the wrong data into a registration system.