A new hidden camera video released by Project Veritas purports to expose illegal voter registration of homeless people in Georgia, but in fact highlights a practice that may be legal.
In the video, Georgia Central Outreach and Advocacy Center executive director Kimberly Parker admits to helping multiple homeless people register to vote using the same address. Project Veritas accused the Center of “illegally registering thousands of homeless to vote” at an address they do not reside at in Atlanta.
“We’ve done that for years!” Executive Director Kimberly Parker says… while admitting her organization has been i… https://t.co/sne9QWWfc3
— Project Veritas (@Project Veritas)1609823318.0
Parker explains, “So, the majority of the people we serve don’t have an address, so we allow them to use our address if they register to vote and to get Georgia State ID.”
The video notes that Georgia state law requires a person to vote where they live, and that “permitting someone to use a false statement on voter registration is illegal … and punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.”
However, Georgia election law permits homeless people to register to vote using the address of somewhere they routinely stay, such as at a shelter or a church. If they do not stay at a location with an address, they may denote a park name or the closest intersection to where they sleep as their residence. They must also provide a mailing address where they can receive mail and may use the address of a shelter, church, charity, relative, or friend to do so.
“Because you have to have proof of residence and so although we’re not a shelter, we do allow them to use 201 Washington Street,” Parker continues. “So, I can’t even begin to tell you how many people have that address on their ID. And we’ve never run into any problem with that until this election.”
She adds that “one of our board members got wind that they thought we’re doing things not on the up and up, because so many people have the address, but we’ve not heard any repercussion from it since.”
The Central Outreach and Advocacy Center is an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization headquartered in the lower level of Central Presbyterian Church. The agency provides support services to Atlanta’s homeless people, including helping them acquire government documents like ID cards or birth certificates, setting up medical appointments, and providing job and skills training to help them find work.
Also featured in the video is Adam Seeley, who is the director of social services for Emmaus House, another nonprofit organization that serves the Atlanta community, and also serves as a board member at the Central Night Shelter. Seeley states that his organization does not know how many people have used their address to register to vote.
“You know, we’ve always kind have been unsure at how many people were having us established as a mailing address in terms of a larger scope,” Seeley said.
“One day I walked into Emmaus House to pick up the mail, and Beverly was like, one of our ladies, she’s where the mail comes into our office, and she’s like, ‘you gotta get this stuff outta here.’ And I’m like, ‘what are you talking about?’
“And it was probably a couple thousand people that had our address registered as their mailing address for their voter registration,” he continued. “And I was like, oh my god, so I’m looking through it and I’m like, well this guy is dead.”
TheBlaze contacted Central Outreach and Advocacy Center and Emmaus House with requests for comment. Project Veritas also did immediately return a request for comment.
