A federal judge has blocked a challenge to a rule requiring proof of citizenship for Georgia residents registering to vote, JustTheNews reported. U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross ruled Thursday to dismiss the challenge brought by several groups.
The rule is a commonsense measure to keep illegal aliens from casting ballots in Georgia elections. "Ensuring that only U.S. citizens vote in our elections is critically important to secure and accurate elections," Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement.
"Georgia's citizenship verification process is common sense, and it works. With this ruling, we are able to continue ensuring that only U.S. citizens are voting in our elections," Raffensperger said.
The rule was previously challenged and similarly upheld by U.S. District Judge Steve Jones in 2022. The most recent decision means it will also stand for the 2024 presidential election, a fact that has opponents up in arms but will benefit former President Donald Trump.
It is perfectly reasonable to require people registering to vote also to prove that they are U.S. citizens. Still, some groups have a curious objection to such a measure, especially in light of their overall objection to the GOP candidate.
"This is disappointing because it will potentially disenfranchise citizen voters who now have to jump through multiple bureaucratic hurdles to vote. It will also create shock waves that may chill other new voters from trying to vote, even when they are eligible," a statement from Aunna Dennis, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, which is challenging the rule, contended.
"Sadly, Georgia's lawful voters will bear the brunt of anti-immigrant sentiments," Dennis claimed. This claim is ridiculous, considering laws requiring proof of citizenship only those who cannot prove their citizenship.
If it's a free and fair election these groups are really after instead of a way to thwart Trump through fraud, the best way to do that is by verifying that people are indeed eligible to vote. Instead, Common Cause Georgia and other groups continue to battle with officials over this measure.
That has translated to $6 million to defend the state in the 2022 legal fight. Still, organizations continue to pursue legal action, claiming that the verification process is a violation of the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, and the U.S. Constitution.
This latest challenge is part of a broader attack on Georgia's Election Integrity Act passed in 2021. As Fox News reported, the left went crazy with desperate measures to protest the law.
In the aftermath of its passage, Major League Baseball refused to hold its All-Star game in the Peach State to make a point. At the time, MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred said boycotting Georgia was "the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport."
Others called the laws a return to Jim Crow and claimed it was part of a voter suppression effort. However, the 2022 midterms proved all of that untrue as a record number of voters turned out for that election.
Perhaps that's why the game will return to Georgia in 2025. GOP Gov. Brian Kemp took a victory lap after that announcement, posting to social media, "Georgia’s voting laws haven’t changed, but it’s good to see the MLB’s misguided understanding of them has."
There's no good reason to object to making it harder for people to cast fraudulent votes. It's good to see Georgia's effort to do just that continues to be upheld in the courts.
