A new Georgia website makes it easier for voters who moved away to cancel their own voter registrations without having to wait for the government to confirm that they’re no longer residents.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger launched the voter registration cancellation website Monday, providing an online method for voters to remove their outdated registrations. Previously, voters had to fill out a cancellation form and return it to their county’s election office.
The website is another way to remove ineligible voters from Georgia’s registration list, along with routine cancellations and voter eligibility challenges.
“This is a convenient tool for any voter who wants to secure their voter registration by canceling their old one when they move out of state,” Raffensperger said. “It will also help keep Georgia’s voter registration database up to date without having to rely on postcards being sent and returned by an increasingly inefficient postal system.”
Unless voters cancel their own registrations, it can take years to remove them from the rolls. Federal and state laws require mailed notifications to voters who appear to have moved, and if they don’t respond, registrations can be canceled if they don’t participate in the next two general elections.
Conservative activists have sought to accelerate the registration cancellation process, filing over 100,000 voter challenges with county election boards since the 2020 election. They say outdated registrations could be used for fraud, though very few cases of out-of-state voting have been proved and voter ID is required in Georgia.
Democrats said they’re concerned that the cancellation website could be misused.
“This portal is ripe for abuse by right-wing activists who are already submitting mass voter challenges meant to disenfranchise Georgians,” said Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye, executive director for the Democratic Party of Georgia. “This page is yet another move in Georgia Republicans’ playbook to empower anti-democracy activists, and the secretary of state must take it down immediately
There are currently over 8 million registered voters in Georgia, including 914,000 voters in “inactive” status who are still allowed to vote but could be canceled if they skip upcoming elections.
The secretary of state’s office canceled 189,000 inactive voter registrations last year.
Through the new website, voters who want to cancel their registrations can enter their name, county, date of birth and personal identifying information, such as a driver’s license or state ID number. Then county election officials will receive a notification from the state’s voter registration system and remove those voters.
The website can be used by voters who have moved, those who no longer wish to be registered and relatives of voters who have died. County election officials will then send verification letters to voters who cancel their registrations.
The voter registration cancellation website is available at cancelmyregistration.sos.ga.gov.
Georgians can check their registration status and sign up to vote through the state’s My Voter Page at mvp.sos.ga.gov.
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