Project Vote v. Kemp (Georgia)

In July 2016, Project Vote filed a lawsuit against Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, over his refusal to release public records relating to rejected voter registration applications. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, alleges that Kemp, in his capacity as the state’s Chief Elections Officer, has violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) by refusing to release voter registration records.

The NVRA requires the public disclosure of voter registration records. Investigating concerns stemming from reports coming out of the 2014 election cycle, Project Vote made good faith requests to Kemp’s office to provide records that would explain why applicants were rejected, canceled, or otherwise kept off the rolls. Two years later, after lengthy negotiations—and despite repeated promises from the state—those records had still not been produced.

Project Vote’s lawsuit asks the court to intervene and compel Kemp’s office to comply, so the group can perform the critical public oversight functions envisioned by NVRA.

Project Vote is represented pro bono by the law firms Ropes & Gray and Caplan Cobb.