In 1993, Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act, which the press nicknamed the “Motor Voter” Act. The law requires all states to make it easier for people to register to vote. It also said that state and local welfare agencies must encourage everyone who visits their offices to register to vote.

Last year, several voting rights groups sued Georgia for failing to administer the federal law properly. The lawsuit noted that whereas in 1995-1996, approximately 100,000 voter registration forms had been obtained for individuals who visited welfare agencies, that number had dropped to only 4,430 in 2010. On April 18, the Georgia Secretary of State and the Department of Human Services agreed to settle the lawsuit by agreeing to many specific acts that will undoubtedly result in more unregistered individuals filling out a voter registration form. Here is a press release about the settlement, which has a link to the 23-page single space settlement agreement. The case is Georgia State NAACP v Kemp, northern district, 1:11-cv-1849. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.