Opinion: How to prevent voters from unfair purging

In a final affront to voters, outgoing Secretary of State Jon Husted announced Ohio would immediately resume purging infrequent voters from the state rolls, an unfair policy which could eliminate an estimated 2 million Ohioans from the rolls. Earlier this month, the process got underway as officials mailed notices to voters at risk of being tossed from the rolls.

The policy stands as a critical test for new Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who has said he wanted to avoid such large-scale purges. LaRose has an opportunity to make good on his statement and adopt reforms to ensure our election system is secure, fair and free from obstacles.

LaRose should make it easier for government agencies to verify the addresses of voters at risk of being purged. That confirmation is automatic for people who renew their driver’s licenses. If the address on a voter's driver’s license or state ID matches their voter registration, the voter will not be purged. LaRose should enact the same standard for public benefit agencies required to assist voters with registration. For instance, a voter with a disability – who may be among the over 1 in 10 Ohioans without a driver’s license or state ID – can avoid being purged if they receive services from a county disability agency.

LaRose should also revamp the system to contact voters in jeopardy of being purged. Now, any registered voter who hasn’t voted in the last two years is sent a postcard notice by U.S. mail asking to confirm their address. If the voter doesn’t respond or doesn’t vote for the next four years, they are automatically removed from the voting rolls.

A single postcard is insufficient and outdated. Increasingly, voters provide their cell phone numbers and emails to track absentee ballots, follow up on a provisional ballots, or remedy problems with their voter registration forms. The Secretary of State’s office should allow voters to receive text messages – such as when their absentee ballot is received, when in-person early voting hours commence, if their polling location has moved, or if they are in line to be purged. Such a system would need to have strong privacy guards and be used for nonpartisan information only.

LaRose should also amend Husted’s decision not to send absentee ballot applications to voters who may be purged in the future. If voting is the way to prevent purging, the state should provide as many opportunities as possible to cast a ballot.

The strongest way to ensure the integrity of our voter rolls while increasing the number of registered voters is Automatic Voter Registration (AVR). The innovative policy used in 15 states and the District of Columbia, ranging from Alaska to Illinois to West Virginia. Voters’ information is automatically updated whenever they interact with certain government agencies, unless the voter declines.

An Illinois resident who renews a license at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles or visits a public benefits office, for example, would automatically have their information sent to the Secretary of State. If the person was already a registered, any address changes would be updated. Conversely, if the individual was not a registered voter, they would automatically become registered.

Not only does AVR significantly increase the number of registered voters, it enhances the accuracy of our voter rolls in a secure and cost-efficient manner. The General Assembly would need to approve it, but an endorsement from the Secretary of State would bolster its chances.

Husted’s voter purge process has been mired in controversy and partisan fights but  LaRose can adopt practical reforms embraced across the divide. Ensuring our election system is secure, fair and free from unnecessary obstacles is attainable, and LaRose should make it his top priority to make it so.

Mike Brickner is the Ohio state director of All Voting is Local.