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Is Ohio kicking people off of federal voting rolls illegally?
Ohio, implementing a voter registration procedure (actually, a voter unregistration procedure), is required to remove people off the rolls if they have moved outside of the voting jurisdiction. In order to determine who has moved, Ohio looks at voter inactivity.
Plaintiffs take issue with Ohio’s use of voter inactivity to remove voters. Federal law says a voter cannot be removed from the voter list “by reason of the person’s failure to vote.” Plaintiffs argue that Ohio – in starting the address change removal process with a list of inactive voters – is violating the law.
Ohio has a strong response because its process seems to align closely with a process that the federal law explicitly permits.
The decision in this case will require detailed analysis of the language of the law.
We made two infographics for you on this case. One is the simple version – seen here.
Complex Version
If you want to get deep into the legal argument, check out the complex version. It walks you through the arguments alongside the text of the law.
Other Voting Rights Case Infographics
- Another voting rights case of this term: Gill v. Whitford (awaiting decision).
- Historical voting rights case: Bush v. Gore.
