A data tool being used to challenge voter registrations is raising many concerns

MACON, Ga. — On the first day of early voting in the May primary, a conference room at the Bibb County Board of Elections was packed — spilling into the hall — to hear David Sumrall.

“My purpose is simply to help move us toward the cleanest voter roll possible, which lists only lawful voters,” Sumrall, head of the Bibb County Republican Party, said in the preamble to the case he was prepared to make.

Sumrall had come to challenge the validity of just under 800 county voter registrations — close to 1% of Bibb County voters.

In Georgia and most other states, individuals can challenge the eligibility of other people’s voter registrations. Many challengers saythey are acting for the good of the community, even to save democracy.

But there are concerns that a new data system that's being pushed by conservative activists and is fueling many of these mass challenges could kick legitimate voters off the rolls.

On Sumrall’s list, there were 48 voters whose registered addresses were P.O. Boxes or UPS centers, 159 Mercer University students sharing the same on-campus address and 585 people he claimed were double-registered in two communities.

Sumrall had them all on a spreadsheet, which did not impress Board of Elections member Karen Evans-Daniels.

“Anybody can make a spreadsheet,” she said.

When the divided five-member board voted down the challenges, the packed room applauded.

The board said simply that none of what Sumrall brought was grounds for knocking a voter from the roll. Because everyone on the university campus shares the same address; P.O. Boxes are important for the unhoused or people leaving domestic abuse; and most of the changed addresses were for people who hadn’t even tried to vote in years.

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