SPLC Files Emergency Intervention on Behalf of Georgia Advocacy Groups

ATLANTA — This week, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), on behalf of GALEO Latino Community Development Fund and Common Cause Georgia, filed to intervene as defendants in William T. Quinn and David Cross v. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The advocacy groups aim to stop a case by two Gwinnett County residents that would allow for new voter roll purges across Georgia, despite federal law forbidding that activity, less than five weeks from Election Day, November 5.

“Since Georgia passed SB 202, allowing unlimited voter challenges, anti-voter operatives are using mass voter silencing laws to take away the votes of Americans who don’t look, live, or love like them. We aim to confront and stop these intimidation tactics and chaos that burden both voters and those protecting the right to vote,” said Bradley Heard, deputy legal director for democracy and voting rights at the Southern Poverty Law Center. “The freedom to vote is on the line for the people of Gwinnett County and throughout Georgia, and this is a reminder that you must check your registration status at My Voter Page or Georgia.gov/Voting before the Monday, October 7, deadline to ensure you’re registered.”

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) prohibits systemic voter removal programs within 90 days of a federal election. Quinn and Cross v. Secretary Raffensperger alleges that the state of Georgia failed to conduct reasonable list maintenance and aims to force the state to change registered voters’ status from “active” to “inactive.” The emergency court filing by SPLC seeks to include GALEO and Common Cause as defendants and requests that the case be dismissed. The filing also requests a declaration from the court that mass challenges such as those filed by Quinn and Cross are unlawful within the 90-day quiet period before a federal election, and that Secretary Raffensperger is prohibited from entertaining such challenges during that window.

“A democracy means that voters choose who serves them, not the other way around. These mass voter silencing efforts are harmful to our communities, and we reject these deliberate barriers to voting,” said Jerry Gonzalez, CEO of GALEO.

“This kind of lawsuit is a direct attack on voters and ignores the 90-day window of the NVRA, which ensures voters aren’t removed from the rolls right before the election,” said Jay Young, senior director of voting rights and democracy for Common Cause. “Pointless lawsuits like these are an attempt to prevent the public’s trust in our safe elections. They are a distraction and scare tactic intended to sow doubt in our secure election process.”

Read the filing here.