Ohio’s Controversial Voter Purge Practices Under Scrutiny
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has recently come under fire for removing hundreds of thousands of voters from the state’s rolls. This move, which LaRose claims is essential for maintaining “election integrity,” has been criticized by watchdog organizations highlighting Ohio’s inadequate protections for eligible voters.
Despite LaRose’s assertions, data suggests that voter fraud is not a significant issue in Ohio. According to his own findings, only 0.0005% of votes in the last presidential election were “potentially illegal.” Nevertheless, LaRose maintains that his rigorous voter purges are solely to safeguard voter lists.
While updating voter rolls is a standard procedure among election officials, Ohio’s methods have been questioned for possibly overreaching. A study last year identified Ohio as particularly prone to inadvertently removing eligible voters, with minority groups being disproportionately affected, according to a 2020 American Bar Association report.
Research conducted in 10 states, released at the end of last year by Dēmos, a progressive organization committed to voter accessibility, labeled Ohio as having the most problematic voter removal processes.
The report criticized Ohio for making it difficult for voters to remain registered. Issues included purging due to inactivity, inadequate notification for those removed for alleged felony convictions or mental incapacity, insufficient means to contest removal, and broad criteria to challenge voter eligibility. These practices, the report argued, increase the risk of eligible voters being wrongly purged.
The office of Secretary LaRose did not respond to inquiries on this matter.
Roni Druks, senior counsel at Dēmos, differentiated between normal voter list maintenance and the purges happening in Ohio. “Voter purges occur when election officials engage in practices like Ohio does that essentially result in the removal of otherwise qualified voters from the state voter rolls,” Druks explained.
A controversial tactic used by Ohio and a few other states is the “use it or lose it” policy. This method, condemned by the American Bar Association in 2020 as potentially unconstitutional, involves removing voters based solely on their failure to vote in consecutive elections without replying to a confirmation notice.
Druks emphasized that neither the law nor the U.S. Constitution mandates voting to retain voter eligibility. “Not voting isn’t a disqualification,” she noted. “Being apathetic about our political process is not a voter disqualification. I think we should be reaching out to folks who feel disconnected.”
Back in 2019, LaRose’s office prepared to remove 235,000 voters, but errors were found in the list, including around 40,000 eligible voters, as reported by The New York Times.
The American Bar Association’s 2020 report also addressed the issue, linking infrequent voting with lower socioeconomic status and racial minority groups, demographics that typically lean Democratic. LaRose is a Republican.
