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Counter Points is written by WVXU Senior Political Analyst Howard Wilkinson. In it, he shares insights on political news on the local, state and national level that impacts the 2020 election. Counter Points is delivered once a week on Wednesdays and will cease publication soon after the November election is decided.

Search Is On For Ohio Voters Facing ‘Purge’ After November Election

In this Oct. 10, 2018, file photo, a voter casts their ballot on the first day of early voting at the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Cincinnati.
John Minchillo
/
Associated Press
In this Oct. 10, 2018, file photo, a voter casts their ballot on the first day of early voting at the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Cincinnati.

Ohio’s Secretary of State has released the list of nearly 116,000 voter registrations that are in danger of being removed after the November election. Now it’s up to community groups to help find these voters.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose says the inactive voters will be removed if they don't vote or update their registrations before December 7. Jen Miller with the League of Women Voters of Ohio says her organization’s work begins now with the information from LaRose's office.

“It will just be name, address and county, and so we will need to run that against third-party database systems to see if we can find phone numbers and emails," Miller says.

LaRose says updating the list ensures valid voters are on the rolls, and the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld this practice. Federal law prohibits the removal of any voters this close to the November election.

Besides voting in the November election, there are several ways voters can ensure they stay on the rolls:

  • Request an absentee ballot application;
  • Update or confirm their address with their county board of elections;
  • Update their registration with the county board of elections;
  • Respond to the forthcoming mailing about their registration’s pending cancellation;
  • Or respond to the 2016 confirmation notices from the county board of elections.

Copyright 2020 WOSU 89.7 NPR News

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.