DeKalb elections board rejects challenges to 50K voter registrations
By Tyler Estep
DeKalb’s elections board voted Tuesday to settle a lawsuit accusing the county of illegally removing dozens of voters from its rolls.
The accusations in the suit — which was filed last February by the Georgia NAACP and the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda — date back to 2018 and 2019.
The suit claimed that DeKalb violated the National Voting Rights Act by immediately “purging” more than 50 voters because their residency was challenged and a mailed notice was returned as undeliverable or not returned at all. It also took issue with the cancellation of seven voters who used the address of a mental health center in Decatur when they registered to vote.
Under the settlement, DeKalb would pay $82,500 to cover the plaintiffs’ attorneys fees and other expenses.
The agreement was approved 3-1-1, with board member Baoky Vu abstaining and colleague Anthony Lewis casting the lone “no” vote.
Lewis, a Republican appointee to the board, said he was uncomfortable settling the case outside of court because of lingering questions about how state and federal law should’ve been applied.
Read the original story on AJC.com.
