On Wednesday October 24, Federal Judge Leigh Martin May blocked the state of Georgia from throwing out absentee ballots due to signature mismatch. The ruling was meant to allow voters to confirm their identity to the voter registry. The current state law in Georgia allows voting officials to reject an absentee ballot if the signature on the ballot does not match the signature on the voter paperwork. With May’s ruling, voters can now prove their identity and contest the thrown out ballot.

“The court does not understand how assuring that all eligible voters are permitted to vote undermines integrity of the election process,” May said following her ruling. “To the contrary, it strengthens it. Permitting an absentee voter to resolve an alleged signature discrepancy has the very tangible benefit of avoiding disenfranchisement.”

“This ruling protects the people of Georgia from those who seek to undermine their right to vote,” Lakin said. “It’s a huge victory, especially with the midterms just days away.” Sophia Lakin of the American Civil Liberties Union said to USA Today following the Judge’s ruling.