Purges
States are pressured to purge their voter rolls of ineligible voters or duplicate records. But they often do so without adequate protections for eligible voters. For example, the lists states use as the basis for purging voter rolls may be riddled with inaccuracies, resulting in the removal of many eligible voters. The substantial discretion many states vest in election officials leaves room for manipulation of purges to suppress certain votes. And although federal law requires states to follow certain procedures, such as notifying a voter before removing their name from a list, states nevertheless conduct purges without informing individuals, denying them an opportunity to protect their rights. Unfair challenges or caging practices may also lead to the removal of eligible voters from the voter rolls.
To guard against these problems, The Brennan Center provides legal assistance to government officials and advocates seeking to ensure that voter purges and challenges are non-discriminatory and do not result in the disenfranchisement of eligible voters. We are currently in the process of studying and analyzing the purge practices in a number of states. The Center will soon release a report about purges of the voter rolls.
Common Cause of Colorado, et al. v. Buescher
A coalition of voting rights groups sued the Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman (who, upon leaving office, was replaced by Brian Buescher) claiming he illegally removed over 27,000 voters from the rolls. They filed a temporary restraining order to get those names reinstated and to ensure additional names cannot be removed before Election Day.
In 1982, after caging in predominantly African-American and Latino neighborhoods, the Republican National Committee and New Jersey Republican State Committee entered into a consent decree with their Democratic party counterparts.
Van Hollen v. Government Accountability Board
Wisconsin AG, J.B. Van Hollen, claims the state’s Government Accountability Board(GAB) is incompliant with HAVA by not retroactively running database matches and purging voters from registration rolls.
Massive Participation from “Inactives” Shows Voters Shouldn’t Be Ruled Out of Elections
As of Monday night, an astonishing 16 percent of the 17,000 "inactive" voters in Pueblo County, CO had cast ballots: roughly 2,700 voters. Had Secretary of State Scott Gessler succeeded in his fight to limit ballots just to those who voted last year, these thousands would have found it much more difficult to vote.
Tennessee’s “deficient” voter registration problem
A partisan battle has erupted in Tennessee about the rules for purging the voter rolls. It’s time to take the politics—and the errors—out of the voter registration system.
Can We Register Voters Better? Yes.
Low voter turnout isn’t a result of apathy, but of poor voter registration systems. With a few simple changes—automatic registration, permanent registration through electronic updates, and an Election Day list correction procedure—50 to 65 million eligible voters would be added to the registration rolls. Congress must make this a priority.
Illustrations by Risko
New Ohio Election Bill Draws on Bipartisan Summit and Conference for Reforms to Ohio Election Law
Secretary Jennifer Brunner, Representatives Dan Stewart and Tracy Maxwell Heard introduced the Ohio Election Enhancements Bill. Drawn from the historic 2008 and 2009 election summits called by Secretary Brunner and chaired by the Brennan Center’s Lawrence Norden, the bill offers many reforms for Ohio’s Election System.
Election Officials Voice Support For Brennan Center Report
Release from the Ohio Association of Election Officials, cross-posted on the Brennan Center web site.
Brennan Center Releases Report on Brunner’s Historic Election Summit
Bipartisan group reaches consensus on framework for reform for Ohio Elections.
Advocacy: Letters to Election Officials
The Brennan Center submitted letters to state election officials in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin, urging them to issue directives and instructions against illegal or improper conduct in anticipation of the 2010 election.
Testimony Before the New York City Council Committee on Governmental Operations
Testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Governmental Operations regarding Board of Elections oversight, specifically concerning New York’s new voting machines and Board voter registration and list maintenance practices.
Adam Skaggs before the Illinois House of Representatives
Testimony on legislative trends in election administration delivered before the House Elections Committee.
Presentations on Voting Rights
Each year, the Brennan Center hosts briefings and delivers presentations on annual trends in voting rights. On this page you can access and download each presentation we have delivered.
The Brennan Center for Justice is compiling media coverage of threatened "ballot security" operations in 2010.
Voter Suppression Incidents 2008
A list of voter suppression incidents from the 2008 election.