Husted to Attorney General Holder: Inconsistent federal law opens door to potential voter fraud
Lead Summary
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Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has sent a letter to United States Attorney General Eric Holder seeking a meeting to resolve the inability of states such as Ohio to maintain accurate voter rolls due to inconsistent sections of federal law.
Federal Census data reports the number of Ohioans by voting age population. A comparison with Ohio’s statewide voter database identified that two Ohio counties, Morrow and Wood, have more registered voters than the 2010 Census data indicate are of eligible voting age.
Specifically, Morrow County reported having 26,018 registered voters while Census data showed that only 25,834 residents in the county were of eligible voting age. In Wood County, Census data showed 98,213 residents were of eligible voting age, yet the county reports having 104,450 registered voters – a 106 percent registration rate. In other Ohio counties, registration rates appear unusually high – most at 85 percent or higher. While Secretary Husted would like to see every Ohioan who wants to vote be registered, voter rolls should be 100 percent accurate with only eligible Ohio voters represented.
“As Ohio’s chief elections official, it is my responsibility to ensure the votes of every eligible voter are counted and ensure the integrity and accuracy of the results,” Secretary Husted said. “This is a difficult task when federal regulations limit Ohio’s ability to remove ineligible names, thereby increasing the chance for voter fraud.”
Secretary Husted’s office has worked aggressively with all Ohio counties to bring voter rolls as up-to-date as possible. However, inconsistent provisions contained within the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) limit what can be done. The NVRA requires states to conduct maintenance on voter lists to ensure accuracy of the rolls, but only permits the removal of voters under certain circumstances (if a person is deceased, is an ineligible felon, or has either confirmed a change of address or requested to have their registration canceled). As a result, Ohio’s county boards of elections must wait years to remove potentially ineligible voters, even in circumstances where the evidence suggests these individuals have moved and should not be eligible. Under these provisions, it is possible for an individual to move to another state without canceling their Ohio voter registration and register to vote in their new state of residence.
“The longer ineligible voters are permitted to remain on the rolls the greater the chance Ohio has of seeing an increase in voter fraud, which is something I refuse to accept heading into a presidential election,” Secretary Husted stated.
Secretary Husted is hopeful that a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Holder will allow the two to discuss a solution allowing Ohio to better maintain is voter rolls.
“I look forward to working with Attorney General Holder to support the values and principles espoused by the NVRA,” Secretary Husted said. “However, at some point, there must be a common sense approach to maintaining voter rolls that does not provide an easy pathway for voter fraud.”
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Federal Census data reports the number of Ohioans by voting age population. A comparison with Ohio’s statewide voter database identified that two Ohio counties, Morrow and Wood, have more registered voters than the 2010 Census data indicate are of eligible voting age.
Specifically, Morrow County reported having 26,018 registered voters while Census data showed that only 25,834 residents in the county were of eligible voting age. In Wood County, Census data showed 98,213 residents were of eligible voting age, yet the county reports having 104,450 registered voters – a 106 percent registration rate. In other Ohio counties, registration rates appear unusually high – most at 85 percent or higher. While Secretary Husted would like to see every Ohioan who wants to vote be registered, voter rolls should be 100 percent accurate with only eligible Ohio voters represented.
“As Ohio’s chief elections official, it is my responsibility to ensure the votes of every eligible voter are counted and ensure the integrity and accuracy of the results,” Secretary Husted said. “This is a difficult task when federal regulations limit Ohio’s ability to remove ineligible names, thereby increasing the chance for voter fraud.”
Secretary Husted’s office has worked aggressively with all Ohio counties to bring voter rolls as up-to-date as possible. However, inconsistent provisions contained within the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) limit what can be done. The NVRA requires states to conduct maintenance on voter lists to ensure accuracy of the rolls, but only permits the removal of voters under certain circumstances (if a person is deceased, is an ineligible felon, or has either confirmed a change of address or requested to have their registration canceled). As a result, Ohio’s county boards of elections must wait years to remove potentially ineligible voters, even in circumstances where the evidence suggests these individuals have moved and should not be eligible. Under these provisions, it is possible for an individual to move to another state without canceling their Ohio voter registration and register to vote in their new state of residence.
“The longer ineligible voters are permitted to remain on the rolls the greater the chance Ohio has of seeing an increase in voter fraud, which is something I refuse to accept heading into a presidential election,” Secretary Husted stated.
Secretary Husted is hopeful that a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Holder will allow the two to discuss a solution allowing Ohio to better maintain is voter rolls.
“I look forward to working with Attorney General Holder to support the values and principles espoused by the NVRA,” Secretary Husted said. “However, at some point, there must be a common sense approach to maintaining voter rolls that does not provide an easy pathway for voter fraud.”
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