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Henderson v. Abhiraman

Elections, Fighting Voter Suppression   /   Last Updated:

Case Summary

LWVGA moved to intervene on behalf of voters to protect members from being illegally purged from voter rolls after plaintiffs filed a lawsuit alleging the DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections violated the law by refusing to consider challenges to voters’ eligibility within 90 days of the election.

Under Georgia law, private citizens can challenge other private citizens’ eligibility to vote and request they be removed from the voter rolls. In August 2024, an individual voter filed challenges and requested hundreds of voters be removed from the rolls because the voters were allegedly either: (1) registered at a nonresidential address; (2) changed their permanent residence; or (3) “should have already been removed” from the rolls. On September 12, 2024, the DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections (BRE) passed a resolution that it would not, as mandated by the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), consider any challenges within 90 days of an election.  

Plaintiffs, the DeKalb County Republican Party and an individual voter, filed a suit against the DeKalb County BRE on September 17, 2024, in Georgia state court. The suit alleged the defendants had violated state law and the NVRA by refusing to consider challenges to the voter rolls within 90 days of the election. Plaintiffs asked the court to order the DeKalb BRE to hold hearings on the voter challenges the individual voter brought in August and immediately remove voters who were successfully challenged from the voter rolls.  

On October 2, 2024, the League of Women Voters of Georgia (LWVGA) and its co-intervenors, the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP, New Georgia Project, Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda, Inc., A. Phillip Randolph Institute, and Common Cause Georgia filed a motion to intervene and a motion to dismiss the case. 

LWVGA is represented in this case by the Southern Poverty Law Center. 

LWV Timeline

September 2024

Plaintiffs file lawsuit in state court

Plaintiffs file an application for a writ of mandamus requiring the DeKalb County BRE to consider voter roll challenges.

October 2024

LWVGA moves to intervene

LWVGA moves to intervene to protect members from being illegally purged from voter rolls.

October 2024

LWVGA moves to dismiss case

LWVGA moves to dismiss the case arguing that: (1) plaintiffs’ requested relief is prohibited by the NVRA; and (2) plaintiffs are not clearly entitled to relief under state law.