To date, the DMV has positively identified 1,896 who asked to be registered when applying for a driverâs license but werenât added to the rolls.
A judge has denied a request by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of South Carolina to compel South Carolinaâs Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) and State Election Commission to reopen voter registration in the state and add thousands of eligible 17-year-olds to the voter rolls ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
South Carolina law allows 17-year-olds who will turn 18 by Election Day to be added to voter rolls, but an apparent glitch in the SCDMVâs computers did not transmit the registration forms of around 17,000 would-be voters to the State Election Commission (SEC) even though the youths checked a box to register when they applied for a state ID or driverâs licenses.
âAlthough thousands of these individuals were eligible to register to vote, were entitled to easily register through their SCDMV transaction, timely provided state officials with the information necessary to register, and indicated a desire to do so, SEC is unwilling to add them to the voter rolls or otherwise protect their fundamental right to cast a ballot in the 2024 general election,â the ACLUâs complaint reads.
âOf those that are not currently registered, it is not yet known how many selected âYesâ on the form indicating that they would like to register to vote,â the group stated. âBecause this information is not coded electronically in the SCDMV database, a hand count will be required.â
While the judge expressed sympathy for the impacted voters, he sided with the defendants, ruling that the ACLUâs emergency request to reopen voter registration after the deadline was too drastic and disruptive.
However, Coble did not dismiss the case, meaning that the broader legal challenge to the SCDMVâs failure to register eligible 17-year-olds will continue to proceed through the courts.
The ACLU said in a statement following the ruling that the judgeâs decision doesnât end the case, signaling the groupâs intent to continue the legal battle.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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