COLUMBUS – Despite Monday’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court allowing Ohio to proceed with its purging of voters, no names will be crossed off before the November election.
The same federal law which was at the heart of the high court’s decision also prohibits cancelling voter registrations less than 90 days prior to a federal election so, with federal elections scheduled on Aug. 7 and Nov. 6, a directive from the office of the Ohio Secretary of State has instructed county boards of election not to purge and registered voters until after the November election
The justices Monday sided with the Secretary of State’s office in ruling that Ohio could continue to clean up its voting rolls by targeting people who haven’t cast ballots in a while, rejecting arguments that the practice violates the National Voter Registration Act, a law intended to increase the ranks of registered voters.
It is important to remember that even though the Court clearly said Ohio’s longstanding supplemental list maintenance process did not conflict with the National Voter Registration Act, the other requirements of the NVRA prohibit list maintenance cancellations prior to this November’s general election. -Matthew M. Damschroder, Assistant Secretary of State
State Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent), ranking member of the House Government Accountability Committee and an election law expert who serves on the Ohio Ballot Board and worked as an election official with the Franklin County Board of Elections in 2008, commended Secretary of State Jon Husted for the move.
“The process of purging people for choosing not to vote is properly on hold until after the November election, and it should be postponed indefinitely,” she said.