Georgia will go to court over Justice Department refusal to clear voter citizenship checks

Georgia plans federal lawsuit over voter checks

ATLANTA — Georgia plans to sue the Obama administration after the Justice Department for the third time blocked the state’s efforts to check the citizenship of newly registering voters.

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp accused the feds of “playing politics” with Georgia’s election process. Kemp said Tuesday the state would ask the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia to clear the state’s system of using Social Security numbers and driver’s license data to confirm whether prospective voters are U.S. citizens.

Under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, Georgia and other states with a history of discriminatory voting practices must preclear any changes to election rules with the Justice Department or through the federal courts.