Knowledge breach in Georgia might have an effect on 6 million voters

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp indicates that last month, personal information of what may be millions of registered voters was inadvertently sent to a number of groups.

Georgia law allows political parties and media free copies of the voter file.

Kemp in a statement says the personal information was put in the wrong file.

Kemp, seen as a potential 2018 Republican contender for governor, faces a class action lawsuit filed by two Georgia women who said Kemp’s office released the information – which includes Social Security numbers and other details – to media, political parties and other paying subscribers for the info. He says 12 recipients got the discs.

“As of 11 a.m., all 12 discs containing sensitive voter information have been retrieved or destroyed”, Kemp said.

He says only one employee will be able to download voter data from a secure site. Other than the employee who made the error, this error was not known until Friday, November 13, 2015 when an organization that received a disc notified the Secretary of State’s office. Piper and Sanders say they were among the voters whose information was compromised.

Several recipients – including the AJC, the Georgia GOP and the Democratic Party of Georgia – said they have already returned the file.

The explanation Kemp offered late Wednesday via a written statement doesn’t cut it. What kind of “clerical error” are we to believe was really responsible for this? Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting secure, accessible, and fair elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities, charities, and professional license holders.