Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger required every Georgia polling place Thursday to post a sign warning noncitizens that it’s illegal for them to vote.
The black-and-white sign, in English and Spanish, follows Republican concerns in Georgia and across the country that ineligible voters could attempt to participate in elections.
A state audit two years ago found zero cases of noncitizen voting in Georgia in recent years, but over 1,600 people with unverified citizenship status had tried to register to vote. Another audit is underway.
Every voter is required to produce ID before casting a ballot in each election, and only citizens are allowed to register to vote.
“Casting a vote is one of the most important elements of American citizenship,” said Raffensperger, a Republican. “Any illegal vote dilutes the value of a citizen’s lawfully cast ballot. This election will be decided by U.S. citizens. Period.”
The State Election Board also voted Monday to require signs cautioning against noncitizen voting.
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“I would hope the intent and the message would be easily understood by an unwitting or naive person who was informed they could vote when they were noncitizen,” said State Election Board member Janice Johnston, a Republican appointee. “I would want to protect them from coming into a polling place and voting illegally.”
State Election Board member Sara Tindall Ghazal, a Democratic appointee, said the signs perpetuate a myth that noncitizens are attempting to vote illegally.
“It leads to scapegoating and attacks of members of the population who may not be citizens,” Ghazal said during a meeting earlier this month. “By putting these signs up, what you’re doing is putting a target on people who may well be citizens.”
The signs will be posted along other notifications posted in polling places, such as warnings that campaigning, cellphone photos and firearms aren’t allowed.
While state law already requires voters to be U.S. citizens, Raffensperger previously sought to enshrine a ban on noncitizen voting in the Georgia Constitution. The effort failed in February, when it fell short of the two-thirds majority needed in the Georgia General Assembly to amend the state constitution.
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