Getty Images has reported the emergence of several new applications that are designed to assist citizens in contesting their neighbors’ eligibility to vote.
People in Georgia are now using new apps to connect with others in their vicinity. However, these apps are not designed for dating, ride-sharing, or food ordering purposes.
Mass voter challenges aided by technology have arrived, and they may play a significant role in the upcoming 2024 elections. Advocates believe that these tools can combat fraud by eliminating ineligible voters and thwarting fraudulent votes. However, detractors argue that these apps will only bring confusion and turmoil to the electoral process.
According to Mike Hassinger, who serves as the spokesperson for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office, their main concern is to ensure that eligible voters are not mistakenly removed from the voter rolls, which could potentially hinder their right to vote. Hassinger emphasized the importance of every valid voter having the opportunity to exercise their right to vote, and stated that maintaining the accuracy of the voter rolls is a top priority for their office. While they do appreciate the concerns of external organizations regarding the integrity of their voter rolls, they are committed to diligently maintaining their accuracy.
According to Hassinger, the state has access to significantly more accurate and comprehensive data compared to what external organizations can retrieve.
According to Hassinger, the comparison between their procedures and those of EagleAI cannot be likened to a simple Coke versus Pepsi versus Dr. Pepper competition. The software programs they use are not readily available off-the-shelf products; they are equipped with intricate systems, practices, and routine checks that are far superior to anything EagleAI has to offer.
Eagle AI
One of the most popular methods for individuals seeking to dispute ballots is through Eagle AI, a platform located in Georgia that specializes in generating mass voter challenges.
According to the Macon Telegraph, Georgia voters have been utilizing a method to question the legitimacy of numerous registered voters, including those in Bibb County. On Monday, the board of elections acknowledged 45 challenges made by Bibb GOP chair David Sumrall, but declined 198 others.
Around 45 voters, who are registered at post office addresses, will need to verify their address to avoid being removed from the voter roll for up to two federal election cycles.
Despite attempts to reach Eagle AI developer John W. “Rick” Richards Jr., he could not be reached for comment. However, nonprofit investigative watchdog group Documented obtained and edited a collection of Zoom calls where Richards can be seen sitting in front of a backdrop featuring the bridge from the USS Enterprise from Star Trek: The Next Generation. He shared that the program is aimed at individuals who distrust election results and wish to challenge voters, as well as county governments facing difficulties in managing the extra workload due to these individuals.
According to Richards, several counties in Georgia are struggling to handle the challenges they are facing and are actively seeking a solution to outsource their problems. “Instead of putting an end to the challenges, we prefer to keep them going as it puts pressure on these counties who have ten days to respond. They know they cannot respond effectively, so they are frantically searching for solutions and we could be the answer they need,” stated Richards.
Although it may seem like Eagle AI relies on artificial intelligence, the truth is that it collects information from various publicly-accessible sources, such as secretary of states’ offices and U.S. Postal Service change of address data. With the help of this data, users can conveniently format it into a suitable form that can be effortlessly presented to county election offices.
True the Vote’s IV3
True the Vote, a Texas-based organization, offers a web-based application named IV3, which stands for Independent Voter Validation and Verification. This app utilizes data from the United States Postal Service to verify voter information.
In the wake of the 2020 election, which former President Donald Trump and his supporters baselessly claim was rigged, the website was registered on November 15, 2020.
Catherine Engelbrecht, the founder of True the Vote, is the registered owner of the IV3 system. Despite our attempts to reach her for an interview, she did not respond. In a recent IV3 training session, Engelbrecht mentioned that the system would help prevent any potential fraudulent activities.
According to her, the problems in our voter files are not caused by voters but rather by lackadaisical maintenance standards, outdated procedures for data maintenance, and unsavory elements intentionally exploiting the system’s weaknesses. She believes that due to the sloppy maintenance, it is effortless to locate an active but otherwise dormant registration and cast it. With the current emphasis on mass mail-out ballots, it is not difficult to imagine how this could be used to engineer chaos in the turnout.
Mass mailing of ballots is not practiced in Georgia.
Users are required to provide a photo of their driver’s license for approval before logging in.
Upon entering, individuals are provided with various choices to contest their neighbors’ voting privileges.
If you have filed for a change of address outside of your county, there is an option for you as a voter. By selecting this option, you will be provided with the name of a person who is registered in your county and has also filed for a change of address with the post office.
The second option presents a comprehensive list of voters who are registered at non-standard addresses. This includes individuals whose addresses have been deemed invalid, commercial, vacant, mailing centers, or P.O. boxes by the post office. In one particular county in the north metro Atlanta area, some of the commercial addresses that were flagged include extended stay hotels, homes for children and teens in foster care, senior or assisted living homes, as well as a college campus.
Users have the option to add every individual’s name to their list of challenges, leave a message for future users explaining their decision to not challenge, or simply skip to the next name. Upon completion, users can export their challenges to a spreadsheet and access a template cover letter to send to their local election office.
During the training session, Engelbrecht highlighted that there are over 25 million records across the country that may be ineligible to vote. True the Vote’s data indicates that in Georgia alone, there are almost 700,000 potentially ineligible records. Out of these, about 439,000 have relocated, and 122,000 are registered at invalid addresses.
Engelbrecht advised the trainees to conduct swift research on every potential challenge and make a prompt decision. This approach ensures that not all challenges are likely to be contested.
She advised not to feel obligated to dig deep into every file unless it’s your area of expertise. “Just do what you can and keep moving,” she suggests. The main objective is to identify the most apparent potential offenders as quickly as possible, so your county can react accordingly.
During the U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia after the 2020 election, True the Vote made efforts to contest hundreds of thousands of votes. However, a federal judge ruled in January that their campaign did not breach the Voting Rights Act. Despite this, District Court Judge Steve C. Jones pointed out that the list provided by True the Vote was not reliable and was, in fact, close to being reckless.
The politics
According to Democrats and voting rights activists, it is common to have a certain number of inactive or ineligible voters on the rolls due to people moving, changing their names, or passing away. It is crucial for states to strike a balance between removing outdated information and ensuring that eligible voters are not prevented from casting their vote. State Representative Saira Draper, an attorney, voting rights expert, and Democrat from Atlanta, emphasized that inundating county election offices with challenges could harm the system.
She predicts that there will be a significant increase in voter challenges in August and September, possibly reaching hundreds of thousands. This surge in challenges is likely to result in the removal of individuals from voter rolls, regardless of the accuracy of the claims made against them. Due to new legislation, county election offices may feel constrained and remove individuals based on weak evidence, which they would have previously disregarded.
In the spring, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 189 on party lines, which became law on July 1. This legislation strengthens the already contentious omnibus election bill, Senate Bill 202, for 2021. One of its provisions specifies that citizens can challenge as many voters in their county as they wish. Draper’s comments were in reference to Senate Bill 189.
Expressing her concerns, Draper mentioned her worry for those who may choose not to vote due to their temporary living situation after receiving a notice that their registration has been challenged.
She expressed her view that the act of challenging the voter registration status of individuals living in non-fixed housing or extended stay hotels is an intimidation tactic. She believes that sending a letter to such individuals, informing them of their challenged voter registration status, is an attempt to prevent those living on the margins from exercising their right to vote.
According to Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, SB 189 has played a significant role in enhancing the clarity concerning voter eligibility challenges. This move is part of the continuous efforts aimed at maintaining accurate voter rolls.
During a press conference at the state Capitol hosted by the Center for Election Integrity at the American First Policy Institute, Senator Gooch emphasized the importance of restoring the confidence of voters in Georgia’s electoral system. As he stated in June, their top priority is ensuring that the system is fair for all. The American First Policy Institute is a think-tank founded in 2021 by supporters and former officials of the Trump administration.
According to Gooch, SB 189 reinforces the requirements for evidence necessary to contest a voter’s status, while also upholding the spirit of Georgia’s 2021 voting law reform. The bill aims to instill greater trust in the state’s election system.
The recently passed law provides sufficient grounds to contest the eligibility of an elector if they have passed away, are registered to vote in multiple jurisdictions, have provided a non-residential address during registration, or claim a property tax homestead exemption in a jurisdiction different from where they cast their vote.
According to the Dahlonega Republican, there have been many questions surrounding the process for the past three years. The lack of transparency in allowing citizens to challenge the qualifications and eligibility of an elector registered in the state has been a cause for concern.
According to Gooch, the measures implemented in SB 189 serve as extra precautions to ensure transparency and accountability. “Those belts and suspenders are necessary to achieve our goal,” he added.
In May, while touring the Georgia Democratic Voter Protection Hotline office, Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye, Executive Director of the Democratic Party, informed reporters that their party is preparing to address mass challenges.
According to him, the mass voter challenge piece can cause chaos even if everything goes right in the front end. The questions that arise are: whose votes will be challenged and why? In what circumstances will they be challenged? Where will these voters be challenged? These are the kinds of uncertainties that cannot be anticipated, therefore, one needs to be prepared for it all. In this regard, the voter protection program needs to be robust and nimble enough to react in real-time to any unforeseen event.
Olasanoye emphasized the importance of playing offense on the things that can be anticipated and only being reactive to the unexpected. He stated, “This bill creates an environment where we’re all going to be reacting to stuff in real time because nobody has ever worked in this sort of environment.”
