Voting rights groups pursue legal challenge

A new ruling by the U.S. Supreme court has emboldened Georgia voting rights groups. The high court overruled a federal appeals court that ordered Ohio's top elections official to do more to help counties verify voter eligibility. The Georgia groups will ask a three-judge panel tomorrow to prevent state officials from matching new voting applications with driver's license and Social Security data. They say the checks amount to a "systematic purging" of rolls just weeks before the Nov. 4 election.

(Associated Press)

Feds investigate voter checks

The U.S. Department of Justice is questioning a high number of requests by Georgia officials to check the Social Security numbers of newly registered voters. Justice Department officials say the two million checks conducted in Georgia since Oct. 1, 2007 appear to represent a "substantial" change in state law. They say those checks need federal clearance under the Voting Rights Act to ensure they aren't discriminatory. DOJ Voting Section Chief Christopher Coates said that without preclearance any voting changes are "legally unenforceable."

(Associated Press)

New scam in Georgia

The Internal Revenue Service says there’s a new scam in Georgia involving a fake tax refund. The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports the IRS says victims pay a fee to have someone file for a Social Security tax refund on their behalf. But the IRS says a Social Security tax refund is rare. The scammer pockets the fee and the victim never gets their promised refund. The IRS says taxpayers who did receive a refund must return it because it was a false claim.