Accusations Of Voter Fraud In 2015 Hancock County Case Refuted

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Hancock County Courthouse in Georgia. / Creative Commons

Attorneys on both sides of a high-profile case of what was alleged to be voter fraud in Georgia say they have agreed those charges were unfounded.

In the lead up to a contentious local election in 2015, sheriff’s deputies in Hancock County ­– 100 miles east of Atlanta – knocked on doors checking to see if voters were living where their drivers’ licenses said they did. The board of elections identified 180 voters, mostly African-American, who were mismatched and accused them of voter fraud.

After out-of-court mediation, an agreement issued this week refutes that. 

Julie Houk, an attorney with The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, represented the voters. 

“A voter does not become ineligible to vote just simply because they've moved from one residence to another within the same jurisdiction or even moved outside of the county within 30 days of an election,” Houk said.

The agreement says that by targeting black voters, the Board of Elections also violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act. According to the Associated Press, three quarters of the voters accused of fraud have had their registration reinstated. A federal judge must still sign off on the agreement.