Over 100,000 Ohioans could be removed from voting rolls

A new report from Reuters shows nearly 144,000 Ohio voters, residing in the three largest counties in the state, have been removed from voting rolls.

This is the result of a practice instituted by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, which removes those who haven’t voted in three consecutive federal elections.

Voter purge rules exist in other states but only apply to those who have died or moved to a new address.

While statewide data hasn’t been made available, there have been two notable features the Reuters analysis found:

• In Ohio’s three largest counties (which include Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus, respectively), voters in Democratic-leaning neighborhoods were purged at twice the rate as those in Republican-leaning neighborhoods. Democratic voters are less likely to vote in congressional elections, whereas Republican voters are more likely to vote in both presidential and midterm elections.

• Neighborhoods with a high proportion of poor, African-American voters were affected most.

This controversy, unlike many across the country, doesn’t stem from voter ID requirements and similar legislation. But it follows the ongoing legal dispute over Golden Week voting: “when voters can both register to vote and cast an in-person absentee ballot.”

There are currently four civil rights groups in Ohio suing over the practice.

Stay tuned for more.