Ohio Mistakenly Put 40,000 Legit Voters on Voter Roll Purge List
Voting rights groups in Ohio are being lauded for their oversight efforts which uncovered massive errors in the state's recent bid to remove hundreds of thousands of voters from its rolls. The inspection, which was carried out primarily by nonprofit volunteers, found that more than 40,000 voters were mistakenly included on the state's to-be-deleted list.
"It definitely showed that Ohio's registration system needs a major upgrade," Jen Miller, the director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, told Cheddar on Monday. "We can't be using a policy as severe as a purge when we can't even be sure that our purge lists are correct."
In an unusual move, this past August Ohio's Secretary of State Frank LaRose publically released a list of 235,000 voters that were set to be deleted from the state's registry. By reviewing the long spreadsheet, the League of Women Voters and several other groups uncovered gross inaccuracies, including the inclusion of Miller's name.
Yet Secretary LaRose, a Republican, has praised the process, saying his office undertook the most transparent review of Ohio's voting rolls to date. "Because of our collaboration with outside organizations, the proper safeguards are in place to ensure any eligible voter will have the opportunity to have their voice heard," LaRose said in a statement after revising the list.
The list maintenance process, as it's officially called, is legally mandated in Ohio and seeks to clear the state's system of deceased residents, inactive voters, or people who have moved out of state. Voter purging, however, has become a major issue nationwide as Republican-led initiatives in several states have sought to remove voters through controversial registration requirements, which critics say primarily target minority or Democratic voters.
Other oversight groups that participated in the review include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, All Voting is Local, and the Fair Elections Center.
As we celebrate Black History Month, Cheddar is highlighting prominent Black Americans who are carving their own historic paths and trailblazing in their fields. Today we feature Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman SCOTUS nominee.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine went hand in hand with cyberattacks against Ukrainian government websites and financial institutions. Cheddar News speaks with cybersecurity expert Karim Hijazi, CEO of Prevaillon, on why the Russian cyberwarfare is concerning to other nations.
Florida legislation being called the 'Don't Say Gay' bill would restrict some discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms with young students. Jon Harris Maurer, public policy director at Equality Florida, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
President Joe Biden promised during his campaign to focus on stable and ally-focused foreign policy, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis seems like an opportunity for him to focus on that tactic after last year's chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. So far, Biden and western allies have banned together to sanction Russian banks, billionaires, and even President Vladimir Putin himself. Meanwhile, Biden has not deployed U.S. troops to intervene directly in Ukraine. Jack Detsch, national security reporter at Foreign Policy, joins Closing Bell to discuss why Biden is focusing on a sanctions-based, ally-focused strategy, what impact sanctions could have on Russia's economy, and more.
As Russia continues its attack on Ukraine, protests are popping up in major cities across the U.S., including across the street from the United Nations in New York City.. Chloe Aiello reports.
