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County to review Firefly communications and Secretary of State 'cancel' website after public raises security and process questions
Summary
Public commenters questioned the Secretary of State's use of a private communications app ('Firefly') and a statewide website (cancelmyregistration.sos.ga.gov) that displays voter records; county staff said it is not processing some online cancellations and will investigate Firefly and cancellation procedures.
Several members of the public raised procedural and data-security concerns about two state-provided tools: a Secretary of State communications app called 'Firefly' and an online cancellation tool at cancelmyregistration.sos.ga.gov.
Rita Royston asked whether the Secretary of State’s use of a private, less-visible communications channel called Firefly meant content was omitted from open-records requests and asked the board to check whether communications via that app have been preserved. She also cited third-party figures she said show hundreds of thousands of questionable registrations statewide (a figure she quoted as 558,876). The chair said he would discuss Firefly with Anne and get back to the public.
Other commenters demonstrated steps on the statewide cancellation website and said it will show a voter's full name and residential address after entering basic information, raising questions about whether the site could be misused. One attendee demonstrated the workflow and told the board the site asks for a first initial, last name, county and date of birth, then presents options such as 'I no longer wish to be registered in Georgia' or 'I am dead.' A board member and staff explained that the online cancellations originate at the Secretary of State’s office; Janice said Cherokee County is not currently processing some of those online cancellations and that the county sends a letter to people whose registrations are flagged as noncitizen or canceled so they can respond.
Board staff described Firefly as a valuable shared operational tool among county election offices and the Secretary of State's office for day-to-day communications and troubleshooting; staff said it is active and can help counties share fixes in near-real time. The board said it will follow up with Secretary of State staff and address open-records and processing questions in follow-up communications or the next meeting.
No county staff action to process or reverse cancellations was taken at the meeting; staff said they will not process certain online cancellations until they determine the proper handling and will send notice letters to affected voters when appropriate.
