Purged voters can cast ballot in special election

Ohioans who have been purged from state voting rolls since 2011 will be allowed to cast provisional ballots in Tuesday’s special U.S. House election between Republican Troy Balderson and Democrat Danny O’Connor.

Secretary of State Jon Husted instructed county boards of elections on Tuesday to accept the ballots of those purged for failing to vote during a six-year span and failing to respond to notices asking them to verify their status.

Their votes will be counted after the election once their purging from voting rolls and other information is confirmed. Husted’s office could not estimate how many purged voters could cast ballots on Tuesday.

The directive was the result of a federal court order following mediation with plaintiffs and after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in their suit, according to Husted’s memo to county election officials. The plaintiffs reversed course after an earlier agreement and asked that those purged be allowed to vote on Aug. 7. The court agreed.

Ohio has purged no voters from its rolls since 2016, when a federal lawsuit was filed challenging the practice.

The action led to a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 11 upholding Husted’s process to purge voters as legal.

Husted told county officials in Franklin, Delaware, Licking, Marion, Morrow, Richland and Muskingum counties — which are part of the 12th District — to count the ballots of purged voters after confirming they had lost their right to vote in 2011, 2013 or 2015.

Rep. Kathleen Clyde, D-Kent, the party’s candidate for secretary of state this fall, called it a “major victory for Ohio voters.”

“With this order, the voting rights of thousands of Ohio voters targeted by this administration will be restored,” she said. “Like the 7,500 Ohioans who were able to have their ballots counted under this rule in 2016, voters in the upcoming special congressional election can rest assured that they, too, will have their voices heard.”

Her opponent, state Sen. Frank LaRose, R-Hudson, replied: “”It is undeniably the responsibility of the secretary of state to maintain accurate voter rolls. Reasonable people, putting partisanship aside and working thoughtfully together, can balance this imperative while still assuring that every eligible Ohioan has unobstructed access to the ballot.”

Even after the Supreme Court ruling, Husted’s office said no voters would be purged this year because none can be removed within 90 days of a federal election. Tuesday’s special election for Congress is followed by the Nov. 6 general election, which includes all U.S. House seats and a U.S. Senate seat.

Husted’s directive to count the votes of purged Ohioans also applies to elections on Tuesday on local issues in Carroll, Columbiana, Hamilton, Mahoning, Portage, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties.