Case Summary
Two Georgia voters filed a lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger alleging a failure to accurately maintain voter rolls in violation of the National Voter Registration Act and state law. LWV of Georgia moved to intervene to protect voters from being illegally purged from the rolls.
The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) requires regular maintenance of voter rolls to ensure they are accurate. Georgia state law requires local election officials to verify voter roll accuracy against USPS data. The plaintiffs allege that data from the state’s voter rolls and USPS have identified voters who are still registered to vote in Georgia despite moving out of the state permanently. They asserted this supposed discrepancy diluted the voting power of those legally registered to vote in Georgia.
On September 26, 2024, two voters filed suit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger challenging voter roll maintenance policies in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The plaintiffs allege that Secretary of State Raffensperger failed to remove voters who have moved out of Georgia in violation of the NVRA and state law. The plaintiffs asked the court to order Raffensperger to require election officials to identify registered voters who have permanently moved out of the state of Georgia before the November 2024 election.
On October 2, 2024, the League of Women Voters of Georgia (LWVGA) and partner organizations filed a motion to intervene and a motion to dismiss in the District Court. The League sought to intervene as defendants to protect their members’ right to vote. The organizations also filed a motion to dismiss the case entirely, arguing the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue and had failed to bring a claim for which the court could grant relief.
LWVGA is represented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, ACLU VRP, ACLU GA, NAACP LDF, and the Law Offices of Gerry Weber, LLC.
LWV Timeline
Plaintiffs file suit against the Georgia Secretary of State
Two voters sue the Georgia Secretary of State for allegedly violating the National Voter Registration Act and state law requiring verification of voter roll accuracy.
LWVGA files motion to intervene
LWV of Georgia and other civil rights organizations file a motion to intervene to protect their members’ voting rights.
LWVGA files a motion to dismiss
LWVGA and other civil rights organizations file a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the plaintiffs had no standing to sue and failed to allege sufficient facts to support their claims.
District court dismisses the case
The court dismisses the lawsuit, stating that plaintiffs failed to show they personally suffered any injury and that their asserted injuries were speculative. Therefore, they had no standing to bring the case.
Plaintiffs file appeal of dismissal
The plaintiffs appeal the district court's dismissal of their case to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Eleventh Circuit issues opinion
A three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit affirms the district court's dismissal, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked the necessary legal injury to bring the case.