Lawsuit Filed Over Georgia Voter ID Law
Former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes on Wednesday filed a lawsuit alleging that the state’s voter ID law violated the Georgia Constitution.
He said the GOP-backed law was a “blatant attempt to curb minority voting.”
Barnes filed the suit in DeKalb County Superior Court as a class action on behalf of all voters without photo IDs.
Georgia legislators in 2005 passed a law requiring that all voters present a government-issued photo identification at the ballot box. Supporters argued it was needed to prevent fraud. Voter and civil rights groups challenged the law in federal court.
U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy in October held that the state law amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax and issued a temporary injunction blocking enforcement.
The state amended the law to provide free photo IDs to Georgians; it awaits approval of the law by the Justice Department.
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