Ohio Strikes People From Voter Registration For Not Voting

[Jimmy Higgins]

Today in Holy fucking shit are you fucking kidding me?! Land^® , we come to this article.

When Larry Harmon tried to vote on a marijuana initiative in November in his hometown of Kent, Ohio, the 59-year-old software engineer found his name had been struck from the voter rolls.Two hours south in Zanesville, restaurant worker Chris Conrad, 37, was also told he was no longer registered.
Both men later found out why: they had not voted often enough.
As the Nov. 8 elections loom, officials in Ohio have removed tens of thousands of voters from registration lists because they have not cast a ballot since 2008.

And for the inevitable conclusion:

Voters of all stripes in Ohio are affected, but the policy appears to be helping Republicans in the state's largest metropolitan areas, according to a Reuters survey of voter lists. In the state’s three largest counties that include Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, voters have been struck from the rolls in Democratic-leaning neighborhoods at roughly twice the rate as in Republican neighborhoods.

Over 144,000 voters were stricken from the voter rolls in the three largest counties in the state (also known as where Democrats live), Cuyahoga (Cleveland), Franklin (Columbus), and Hamilton (Cincinnati). FYI, the winning margin for W in Ohio was about 120k and 170k. Obama was a bit higher, around 160k and 270k.

Our wonderful Secretary of State, John Husted: "If this is really important thing to you in your life, voting, you probably would have done so within a six-year period."

To muddle the waters a bit:

Federal law prohibits states from removing voters solely because they haven't voted, but it also requires them to keep voter lists up to date. Ohio residents who are removed from voting lists must re-register at least 30 days before an election.

Which seems to make one wonder how this process is even legal.

 

[Trausti]

Keeping voter lists up-to-date is a reasonable thing to do.

“He took a lot of time choosing his candidates,” said Annette Givans of her father, John Cenkner.

Cenkner died in Palmdale in 2003. Despite this, records show that he somehow voted from the grave in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

But he’s not the only one.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016/05/23/cbs2-investigation-uncovers-votes-being-cast-from-grave-year-after-year/

 

[fast]

[H]e somehow voted from the grave [...]

That's the kind of determination worthy of my admiration. Nothing impresses me more than overcoming insurmountable odds. Don't tell me I can't win. People cry, "there was nothing I could do," after getting into car accidents, yet there are things we can do. We can defy the odds with determination alone.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Keeping voter lists up-to-date is a reasonable thing to do.

“He took a lot of time choosing his candidates,” said Annette Givans of her father, John Cenkner.

Cenkner died in Palmdale in 2003. Despite this, records show that he somehow voted from the grave in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

But he’s not the only one.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016...-votes-being-cast-from-grave-year-after-year/

You do realize the difference between removing a person from voter rolls because of death and simply having not voted, right?

 

[dismal]

Keeping voter lists up-to-date is a reasonable thing to do.

But it's precisely because voting is such a sacred rite that dead people should be able to do it by showing a utility bill.

Just like we do with other important stuff.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

You do realize the difference between removing a person from voter rolls because of death and simply having not voted, right?

We do that here after you miss 2 major elections. (Governor and President, which happen every two years here.) Actually it is "have not voted at least once in the last 4 years".

- - - Updated - - -

Keeping voter lists up-to-date is a reasonable thing to do.

But it's precisely because voting is such a sacred rite that dead people should be able to do it by showing a utility bill.

Just like we do with other important stuff.

Yep, and I get my ballot in the mail. I don't even go to the booth anymore. I look up the minor office holders online to know who's who.

 

[laughing dog]

We do that here after you miss 2 major elections. (Governor and President, which happen every two years here.)

At least in Mn, there is still same day voter registration.

 

[whichphilosophy]

In the Philippines where I am for the next few weeks, no one gets struck off. In fact voter enthusiasm is so high that even dead people have been known to cast a vote.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

The more important question of course is transgender individuals in the voting booth.

- - - Updated - - -

We do that here after you miss 2 major elections. (Governor and President, which happen every two years here.)

At least in Mn, there is still same day voter registration.

And they take post office COA and update the rolls.

 

[fast]

Keeping voter lists up-to-date is a reasonable thing to do.

But it's precisely because voting is such a sacred rite that dead people should be able to do it by showing a utility bill.

Just like we do with other important stuff.

Oh great. This is how things turn racial. Jimmy said, "and for the inevitable conclusion." This is, of course, followed by an undercurrent designed to raise eyebrows. I mean, after all, if Republicans benefited, that indicates underhanded intentional acts designed to harm the ugly group.

If more white dead zombies show up, there's going to be this big ole hoopla about socioeconomic disadvantages and crap. We can avoid this by refraining from requiring dead people (regardless of race) to provide a utility bill. You people don't think things through far enough.

 

[Trausti]

Keeping voter lists up-to-date is a reasonable thing to do.



http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016...-votes-being-cast-from-grave-year-after-year/

You do realize the difference between removing a person from voter rolls because of death and simply having not voted, right?

The article you posted mentioned that the Sec of State sent postcards to folks who hadn't voted. This link was to make the obvious point that people die. If there was no process to remove inactive voters from the rolls, then President Taft could still vote in Ohio.

 

[laughing dog]

You do realize the difference between removing a person from voter rolls because of death and simply having not voted, right?

The article you posted mentioned that the Sec of State sent postcards to folks who hadn't voted. This link was to make the obvious point that people die. If there was no process to remove inactive voters from the rolls, then President Taft could still vote in Ohio.

"Inactive" is not the same as "dead" or "no longer a citizen". Removing "inactive" voters is not pernicious in and of itself. Removing them without giving them a chance to register on voting day is quite another.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I think it is a bit silly to use this to prevent voter fraud. I mean how often are we worried about voter fraud with people who aren't voting?

You do realize the difference between removing a person from voter rolls because of death and simply having not voted, right?

The article you posted mentioned that the Sec of State sent postcards to folks who hadn't voted. This link was to make the obvious point that people die.

There are records of people who die.

If there was no process to remove inactive voters from the rolls, then President Taft could still vote in Ohio.

Actually he does. He is Ohio's version of that groundhog in PA.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Which seems to make one wonder how this process is even legal.

It does make you wonder. Here in PA when you're in, you're in, unless you change names, address or party (closed primaries).

Ohio is a sleazy, smarmy political place.

But I think, in Ohio, if you don't pay your taxes for several years they also drop you from the tax roles.

 

[Rhea]

Keeping voter lists up-to-date is a reasonable thing to do.

“He took a lot of time choosing his candidates,” said Annette Givans of her father, John Cenkner.

Cenkner died in Palmdale in 2003. Despite this, records show that he somehow voted from the grave in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

But he’s not the only one.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016/05/23/cbs2-investigation-uncovers-votes-being-cast-from-grave-year-after-year/

So... wait... you're saying...

We should remove people who aren't voting regularly so that we can identify and remove people who are voting too regularly?


Ummm???

 

[fast]

Keeping voter lists up-to-date is a reasonable thing to do.



http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016/05/23/cbs2-investigation-uncovers-votes-being-cast-from-grave-year-after-year/

So... wait... you're saying...

We should remove people who aren't voting regularly so that we can identify and remove people who are voting too regularly?


Ummm???

I think he was making a point that wasn't in question.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

So... wait... you're saying...

We should remove people who aren't voting regularly so that we can identify and remove people who are voting too regularly?


Ummm???

I think he was making a point that wasn't in question.

Removing dead people prevents dead people from voting, makes sense.. Is there fear that inactive voters are voting too often?

 

[SimpleDon]

Did you edit your post in the last few minutes? I hit "Reply With Quote" to your post of 9:18 am, #8 in the thread which is,

"It's hard to encourage people to vote if they are struck off the voter list."

.. on my screen.

But the quote that was copied to the Quick Reply textbox was,

In the Philippines where I am for the next few weeks, no one gets struck off. In fact voter enthusiasm is so high that even dead people have been known to cast a vote.

Now I have completely forgotten what I was going to say.

I have spent a lot of time in the Philippines, both in the Navy at NAS Cubi Point, and in my career working for a German industrial equipment supplier-industrial contractor-design firm, I seriously thought about moving to Cebu Island when I retired, with a ~12 meter sailboat, (my wife insists on a stand up shower and a full galley,) and a Lancair 320 aircraft. Circumstances prevented it.

 

[fast]

Removing dead people prevents dead people from voting, makes sense..

Lol. People being dead prevents dead people from voting. I'm not sure what the exact argument would look like, but I bet one of the premises would be that dead people can't vote. Since they can't vote, why remove them? To help cut down on fraud prevention. That seems reasonable.

Is there fear that inactive voters are voting too often?

No, that doesn't sound likely at all, nor do I think there is a fear that inactive voters aren't voting often enough. I think what we have here is a rush to provide a solution to a real problem of voter fraud. When we see problems, we look for solutions. Thing is, solutions should be more thought out so that they don't create other issues.

Maybe there should be some kind of expiration ... a lose it if you don't use it solution until you renew it kind of thing, I don't know, but unless they can come up with a better way, they need to be over the top transparent so these kinds of things don't get people riled up.

 

[ZiprHead]

You do realize the difference between removing a person from voter rolls because of death and simply having not voted, right?

The article you posted mentioned that the Sec of State sent postcards to folks who hadn't voted. This link was to make the obvious point that people die. If there was no process to remove inactive voters from the rolls, then President Taft could still vote in Ohio.

Does the state not issue death certificates? Why can't the voter rolls be cross-ref with those instead of just willy-nilly disenfranchising thousands?