Ohio Begins Process of Verifying Voter Rolls

September 1, 2021 by Dan McCue
Ohio Begins Process of Verifying Voter Rolls
Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos, arrives at the federal courthouse for jury selection in her trial, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, in San Jose, Calif. Holmes faces 12 felony counts alleging she engineered a massive fraud that duped a litany of rich investors with a blood-testing technology that she promised would be able to screen for hundreds of diseases with a finger prick. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has directed the state’s 88 county boards of election to begin a four-year process to identify any registrations that have been inactive for at least two years or appear on the national change of address database.

If a registration is found to fall into either category, the voter must be sent a confirmation notice informing them that voter activity must take place at some point over the next four years in order to remain active.

“Ohio has been setting records for voter turnout because Ohioans know that our elections are both convenient and secure. That success requires an elections system with integrity,” LaRose said. 

“Abandoned registrations clog that system up, making it more difficult for election officials to do their jobs and putting the security of our elections at risk,” he continued. “We’ve made some big moves to improve the process to keep our voter rolls accurate, encourage participation and fix errors before they cause issues. 

“While we’ve made great strides in carrying out the process required under Ohio law, we can do so much better if we modernize our voter list maintenance and registration procedures. There is legislation already introduced in the General Assembly that gets that done and I’m hopeful we can make this vital modernization a reality,” he added.

The legislation LaRose referred to is HR 294, a bill that would automate the voter registration system so that it can be more easily and efficiently updated. 

By requiring the state government to integrate the technology and resources at its disposal, voters will be able to update their registration information when they interact with state government entities such as the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

“This improvement will significantly improve the accuracy of Ohio’s voter rolls,” LaRose said.

Voter-initiated activity includes any one of the following:

  • Voting in any election over the next four years;
  • Submitting an absentee ballot application;
  • Registering to vote, online or in-person;
  • Updating or confirming an address with a board of elections (including returning the confirmation notice)
  • Updating or confirming an address with the BMV, or
  • Signing a candidate or issue petition that is verified by a board of elections.

If a registration in confirmation status doesn’t engage in any such voter activity, the registration will be at risk of cancellation beginning in 2026. 

It is also important to note that any registration that engaged in any of the voter-initiated activity over the past two years, including voting in the 2020 election, will not receive a confirmation notice.

A+
a-
  • elections
  • Frank La Rose
  • Ohio
  • voting rolls
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    In The States

    Camp Mystic 'Grieving the Loss of 27 Campers and Counselors' Following Catastrophic Texas Floods

    KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Camp Mystic says it is mourning the loss of 27 campers and counselors as the search... Read More

    KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Camp Mystic says it is mourning the loss of 27 campers and counselors as the search continued Monday for victims of catastrophic Texas flooding over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The statement adds another layer of heartbreak to the devastating flooding... Read More

    Democrats See Trump’s Big Bill as Key to Their Comeback

    WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa (AP) — It is big and it is beautiful, President Donald Trump says. But for many Democratic leaders, the tax... Read More

    WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa (AP) — It is big and it is beautiful, President Donald Trump says. But for many Democratic leaders, the tax break and spending cut package passed by Trump's Republican allies in Congress on Thursday represents the key to the Democratic Party's resurgence. Even before the final vote,... Read More

    Trump Ramps Up His Attacks Against NYC's Zohran Mamdani as GOP Seizes on New Foe

    NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump has a new political foil: New York’s Democratic nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani. The president, who... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump has a new political foil: New York’s Democratic nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani. The president, who has a history of spewing sometimes vile insults at rivals, has in recent days escalated his attacks against the 33-year-old self-described democratic socialist. Trump has threatened... Read More

    California Rolls Back Environmental Protection to Aid Housing Development

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has rolled back a 54-year-old landmark environmental protection law to aid in faster... Read More

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has rolled back a 54-year-old landmark environmental protection law to aid in faster housing and infrastructure development.  Announced on Monday, the new law reverses the California Environmental Quality Act. Newsom said in a written statement that the reversal aimed... Read More

    Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Liberal Majority Strikes Down 176-Year-Old Abortion Ban

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority struck down the state’s 176-year-old abortion ban on Wednesday, ruling... Read More

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority struck down the state’s 176-year-old abortion ban on Wednesday, ruling 4-3 that it was superseded by newer state laws regulating the procedure, including statutes that criminalize abortions only after a fetus can survive outside the womb.... Read More

    July 1, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    FBI to Stay in Downtown DC

    WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation has selected the site of its new headquarters and the big news is,... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation has selected the site of its new headquarters and the big news is, it’s literally just down the street from its current building. On Tuesday, the agency and the General Services Administration announced the FBI is headed up Pennsylvania... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top