Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office has released what he's calling a "Registration Readiness" list of 115,816 voter registrations which will be removed from the state's roll for being inactive.
LaRose says no one on the list will be removed before the Nov. 3, 2020 General Election and voter registrations will only be removed if they remain inactive through Dec. 7, 2020.
An inactive voter is one "engaging in no voter activity whatsoever, for a period of at least four years per the NCOA process or six years per the supplemental process and have failed to respond to multiple notices mailed since 2016," says LaRose's office.
To find out if you are on the inactive list, visit the database at registrationreadiness.ohiosos.gov and search your name and address.
To become active, registrants can:
- Vote in the Nov. 3, 2020 general election;
- Request an absentee ballot application;
- Or update or confirm their information and address at VoteOhio.gov.
“Keeping our voter lists accurate isn’t just required by law — it’s the right thing to do,” LaRose said in a release. “That’s why we’re once again using proven strategies to reach impacted registrants and cooperating with our longtime partners to give every Ohioan their opportunity to be heard each and every election.”
Community partners including the NAACP, Ohio Council of Urban Leagues, A. Philip Randolph Association, Ohio Right to Life and the Ohio Republican Party are working with the Secretary of State to help find and activate registered voters.
LaRose's office notes, "There are 7.8 million voter registrations in Ohio that are managed and maintained by 88 different county boards of elections, which utilize five different private vendors. Errors are going to happen. That’s exactly why Secretary LaRose adopted a policy of transparency to ensure that this lawfully required duty is completed as accurately as possible."
If you haven't yet registered to vote in the Nov. 3 election — or updated your current address or information — you have until Oct. 5 to do so at olvr.ohiosos.gov. To register online, you'll need an Ohio driver’s license or Ohio identification card number, your name, date of birth, address and the last four digits of your social security number.
