ATLANTA — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office has launched an investigation into more than 400 voter registration forms recently sent to deceased individuals and even a dog.
The notices, mailed by an unnamed third-party organization, have prompted concerns about public distrust in the voting process.
The Secretary of State’s office received these notices just last week, which were displayed on a large table at the Georgia State Capitol.
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Most of the forms were addressed to people who have been dead for years, with one individual reportedly deceased since 1957.
While sending the forms is not illegal, officials worry about the perception and the allocation of resources needed for the investigation.
“This is not integrity. This is garbage,” Raffensperger said.
Despite the forms originating from a third-party organization, many recipients believed the forms were sent by the Secretary of State’s office, often writing angry messages on them indicating the addressee was deceased.
Raffensperger expressed concern that the ongoing investigation will divert limited resources from his office.
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“We don’t know how many we’re going to get next week. How many we get the next week after. So we will check each of these out. And that takes time. And so that just really, we have limited resources and so it’s going to take something from us,” Raffensperger said.
He stated he is not worried that someone would successfully register to vote using the name of a deceased person or a dog, believing his staff would detect such fraud.
“Some people here, these people received a notice about their son who’s been deceased for years. And then, I have too, you know. You just imagine what that does to them. It’s almost cruel that they’re doing this,” Raffensperger said.
Raffensperger’s office will continue to check each of the received voter registration forms, which they expect will consume significant time and resources.
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