Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Voter Registration Targeted in Georgia’s New Cancellation Portal
By Jake Beardslee ·
August 5, 2024
In a concerning development for Georgia's electoral system, the state's recently launched online portal for voter registration cancellations has already been targeted for abuse. Just days after its introduction, the Georgia Secretary of State's Office confirmed to ProPublica that multiple attempts to misuse the system had been identified, including efforts to cancel the voter registrations of prominent Republicans such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger himself. Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America / Wikimedia
This revelation comes on the heels of warnings from Georgia Democrats about potential abuse of the new system. The Associated Press and The Current have also reported security vulnerabilities in the portal that briefly exposed sensitive voter information, including partial Social Security numbers and driver's license details - the same data required to initiate a registration cancellation. veera Batlu / Unsplash
“If someone knows my birthdate, you could get in and pull up my information and change my registration,” Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler stated. @SenGloriaButler / X
Mike Hassinger, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State's Office, said that the office had been monitoring the portal for potential misuse, which led to the discovery of the attempts against Greene and Raffensperger. Hassinger emphasized the system's safeguards, including warnings about potential felony charges for abuse, technical features to prevent mass cancellations, reviews by county election workers, and notification postcards to affected voters. Knight Foundation / Wikimedia
However, voting rights advocates remain skeptical. Max Flugrath, communications director for Fair Fight Action, criticized the state's response, saying, "Instead of apologizing and working to fix the problem, Brad Raffensperger is denying it exists. If the secretary of state won't do what it takes to protect Georgians and their voting access, advocates will do everything we can to ensure voters have the information needed to register, cast a ballot and have their vote count." fairfight.com
The launch of this portal follows recent legislation in Georgia that has made it easier for residents to challenge voter registrations. While Hassinger maintains that the portal was created independently of these legislative changes, concerns persist about its potential for abuse. Darwinek / Wikimedia
Despite the identified attempts at misuse, Hassinger said that the security measures have proven effective, and there are no current plans to modify them. He did, however, mention discussions about improving future software rollouts, including additional testing and increased budgets for such work. Muha Ajjan / Unsplash
