To: Lalaine Briones, Director, Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, The Georgia State House, and The Georgia State Senate

DROP the PROSECUTION of the QUITMAN 10

Extremist within Georgia’s Legislature have used the spectre of “voter fraud” to justify efforts that have made it more difficult to vote. Today, in 2014, the Secretary of State Brian Kemp is going after the New Georgia Project, a voter registration group, with allegations of voter fraud that already appear to be suspect. Last year, Brian Kemp supported efforts to roll back early voting and killed efforts at election day registration. In 2012, Brian Kemp purged thousands of voters from the rolls in an error-plagued process aimed at disenfranchising voters. In 2011, the NAACP had to sue Brian Kemp to comply with the National Voter Registration Act. In 2010, the red herring of voter fraud was Quitman, Georgia.

Of twelve Quitman citizens (the “Quitman 10 + 2”) who were arrested for voter fraud, only one--Lula Smart--has been tried, and acquitted. Ms. Smart was indicted on 33 counts of voter fraud in 2011. All charges were thrown out, except 19, including 18 counts for unlawful possession of official ballots and one count for interference with an election by marking a ballot. After millions of wasted taxpayer dollars, 2 mistrials and now an acquittal, it's time to drop the farce and drop the charges against the remaining defendants.

More information found at www.naacpga.org!

Why is this important?

Voter suppression and intimidation is UN-AMERICAN. To use the law as a tool of suppression and intimidation turns our justice system on its head. Georgians deserve better!