(ATLANTA, Ga.) — U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones handed down a ruling today, deciding in Fair Fight Action v. Raffensperger that the exact-match name policy violates neither the U.S. Constitution or the Voting Rights Act.
“Although Georgia’s election system is not perfect, the challenged practices violate neither the Constitution nor the VRA (Voting Rights Act),” wrote Jones in the 288-page order. The lawsuit was initially filed in the wake of the 2018 election, in which now-Gov. Brian Kemp defeated Abrams by a margin of about 50,000 votes. The court ruled against Fair Fight on claims over Georgia’s “exact match” voter registration policy, absentee ballot cancellation practices and registration inaccuracies.
Fair Fight v. Raffensperger was the largest voting rights lawsuit on record in the Eleventh Circuit, covering much of the Southeast. Fair Fight alleged that the exact-match policy placed an undue burden on voters, and disproportionately affected minority groups.
Fair Fight Action Executive Director Cianti Stewart-Reid issued a statement, saying “Despite the numerous and significant pro-voter developments that have already resulted from this case, we are nonetheless disappointed by the Court’s decision. In this moment of frustration, we also are here to remind the nation: Litigation is only one tool to fight against voter suppression.” The press release also includes details on voting rights strides made since 2018, including 22,000+ purged voters reinstated, replacement of voting machines, and the changing of a number of Georgia State Department policies.
Taking to Twitter in the wake of the decision, Brian Kemp posted the following:
This case did not, however, address Georgia’s controversial voting law passed after the 2020 election. That law limited ballot drop box availability, imposed new rules for absentee voting and banned handing out water and food to voters waiting in line. The bulk of that law was upheld by a different federal judge in a story already covered on WSB.
WSB Radio reporter Veronica Waters contributed to reporting for this story.