Local board of elections offer conflicting information on voter purge

A purge of voters from registration rolls may not happen as planned according to a local board of elections official who said it has been put on hold by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose despite a ruling earlier this week from a federal judge that said there should be no delay in purging Ohioans from voter registration rolls. The purge is set to take place today with 235,610 voters slated to be affected across the state. Medina County Board of Elections Director Carol Lawler said Thursday that LaRose's office has instructed Triad Governmental Systems Inc., the Xenia-based private vendor that oversees many Ohio communities' voter rolls, to hold off on the purge until further notice. No timetable for what comes next or whether or not the delay will apply to all Ohio voters scheduled to be purged was made clear, Lawler said. "Triad told us they were told by the secretary of state to wait until they were contacted by the secretary of state's office," Lawler said . "That list was supposed to be pulled today and the process was supposed to be done tomorrow, Friday. So, I don't have an accurate number today. Many of the people we've contacted have probably replied and updated their information, so they're not going to be cancelled." Lawler's said her office has sent out letters to 2,599 Medina County residents informing them they were set to be bumped from the rolls unless they updated their registrations. In the event of being taken off the rolls, a voter must reregister by Oct. 7 in order to be eligible to vote in the Nov. 5 general election, Lawler said. Ohio voters become eligible for purge if they fail to vote for six years or respond to letters confirming their current address. Earlier this year, 265,000 voters were removed from Ohio rolls. Registration can be completed in person at the board of elections office, 3800 Stonegate Drive, Suite C, Medina Township, or at www.medinacountyelections.org. Any public high school or vocational school, state Bureau of Motor Vehicles Office, public library, agency that provides public assistance or services to individuals with disabilities, and the Medina County Treasurer's Office will also provide in-person registration services. "There's still time to register and we'll be here to help," Lawler said . Calls to Triad's offices were not returned before press time. Spokeswoman Maggie Sheehan said in a an email to the Gazette that "additional guidance is forthcoming, but the cancellation will go forward as planned." On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge James L. Graham ruled that the scheduled voter purge would not be delayed after the Ohio Democratic Party had requested a temporary restraining order onAug. 30. A Columbus Dispatch report found that vendor errors across the state had led to 1,600 voters being improperly scheduled for removal from rolls, which led to the Ohio Democratic Party requesting the restraining order. The Dispatch also reported that the Ohio League of Women Voters and other groups opposing the purge fear that more than 30,000 eligible voters could be taken off rolls due to additional vendor mistakes. In a statement posted on LaRose's website, Sheehan wrote, "Obviously we're happy about the court's recognition of the unprecedented levels of transparency we've brought to this process. We'll continue our work to carry out the law and our mission to run accessible, secure and accurate elections." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.