DOJ rejects Handel appeal

The U.S. Justice Department has denied Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel’s appeal of its decision to reject Handel’s plan for verifying voters’ citizenship.

Handel, a 2010 Republican gubernatorial hopeful, asked the department in August to reconsider its decision to reject the system.

The Justice Department in May said the verification program is frequently inaccurate and has a “discriminatory effect” on minority voters.

The decision meant Georgia had to halt the citizenship checks, which Handel launched in 2007 in response to the Help America Vote Act. That federal law required states to verify voters’ identity, but not necessarily citizenship.

Handel said Friday she is considering her options, which could include suing the Justice Department in federal court.