According to federal election data released this week, 95% of Georgians over the age of 18 are now registered to vote.
The state started automatic registration in 2016 when drivers were obtaining driver’s licenses, where drivers now have to check a box to opt out. Automatic registration increased the rates from 76% in 2016 to 95% in 2020.
Of course, that’s great news, but in 2020 the turnout rate of those who actually voted was 66%, behind the national average of 68%.
There were eight states with higher registration than Georgia, led by Maine, New Hampshire and Illinois.
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many of those ineligible to register are disqualified for serving felony sentences.
It was also reported that over 101,000 inactive voter registrations were canceled this year in what was described as a “use it or lose it” law.
State law requires systemic cancellations every other year to remove ineligible or infrequent voters from the state’s voter rolls.
The numbers of registration purges was smaller than in previous years.
- In 2017, there were 534,000 eliminations from Georgia’s voting rolls, the largest purge in U.S. history.
- In 2019, there were 287,000 eliminations.
Reasons for the 2021 cancellations:
66,323: Filed a change-of-address request with the U.S. Postal Service
33,525: Election mail was returned as undeliverable
1,098: Voters died or had a different reason for removal
271: Haven’t voted since 2012
Source: AJC
