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Watchdog Organizations Say SUPCUS' Ruling On Ohio's Voter Purging System Is Blow To Democracy

The U.S. Supreme Court Monday upheld Ohio's purging of voters who have not cast ballots for several years. 

The justices rejected a lower court ruling that the practice violates a federal law intended to increase the number of registered voters.  Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority saying Ohio is complying with the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. Republican Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted calls it a victory for election integrity, but Catherine Turcer of the watchdog group Common Cause Ohio says it's a blow to democracy.

Jonathan Brater at the Brennan Center for Justice says there are many reasons that voters skip elections.

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Brater says other states should not interpret the ruling as a green light to initiate aggressive voter roll purges.

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A handful of other states also use voter inactivity to trigger a process leading to their removal from the rolls.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.
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