Ga. asks DOJ to reconsider citizen check rejection

ATLANTA - Secretary of State Karen Handel says Georgia has asked the Justice Department to reconsider its rejection of the state's system of using Social Security numbers and driver's license data to check whether prospective voters are citizens.

The Justice Department said in May that the state's voter verification program is frequently inaccurate and has a ``discriminatory effect'' on minority voters.

The verifications check five criteria for new voters against information in databases held by the Georgia Department of Driver Services or Social Security Administration.

Civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit in October to prevent the verifications, which were in place during last year's general election. A U.S. District Court judge and a panel of three federal judges denied the motions filed by the groups.