Supreme Court: States Can Purge Voters Who Don't Vote or Respond to Warnings

 

By Richard Wolf

WASHINGTON -- Failing to vote can lead to getting knocked off voter registration rolls, a divided Supreme Court ruled Monday in a decision that likely will help Republicans and harm Democrats.

The court's conservative majority ruled 5-4 that Ohio did not violate federal laws by purging voters who don't vote and fail to return notices confirming their residency. Civil rights groups had challenged the state for having the strictest method of purging voters in the nation.

Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, noting right off the bat that an estimated one in eight voter registrations in the United States are invalid or inaccurate. He said failing to vote cannot be the sole reason for purging voters but noted that Ohio "removes registrants only if they have failed to vote and have failed to respond to a notice."

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Source: USA TODAY

 

 Statement from Rev. Al Sharpton
(President and Founder of National Action Network) 

“Today’s Supreme Court decision marks an outrageous backwards step for voting rights. This kind of codified voter suppression disproportionately impacts people of color and marginalized communities that are already underrepresented at the ballot box, and could mean further disenfranchisement for millions of eligible voters across the country when other states adopt similar laws. We at National Action Network have no patience for ongoing efforts to deny these Americans their constitutional right to vote – we will remain vigilant in fighting voter suppression in the courts, the legislature, and our community partners to tear down barriers to voting.” 

Source: Mercury