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.
Kelly Macias, staff writer for the Daily Kos, discusses President Trump's trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump is the first president to attend the conference since Bill Clinton in 2000.
Between Bells: Trump touts 'America First' in Davos, Oscar's box-office bump, and why mattresses are changing the way you shop. We're joined by OZY, Bossip.com, Consumer Reports, and more.
Between Bells brings you the top business, culture, and political headlines.
Meryl Streep joins the cast of Big Little Lies." The White House announces it will roll out immigration Framework. Cheddar speaks with Danica Patrick about how she is readying for this race and life after Nascar. President Trump announces new tariffs on imported solar panels and washing machines. Burger King releases a net neutrality commercial. Hewlett Packard's CEO announcers her new venture.
President Trump is jetting off to Davos, Switzerland, this week to attend the World Economic Forum. He'll be the first sitting president to attend the forum in almost two decades. OZY.com Reporter Nick Fouriezos takes a look at the president's goals for the trip.
Abigail Ross Hopper, CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, says that the vast majority of people who work in the industry don't care where the components they're installing come from. And those are the ones who'll be hurt by the new bill.
Senate Democrats are trying to hit the reset button after the shutdown defeat. Immigration reform is at the top of their mind's as they are looking to reach a deal before the February budget deadline. Ben Kamisar, Reporter at The Hill, explains what this means when looking forward to the 2018 midterms.
The European Union fines Qualcomm for allegedly violating antitrust laws. Starbucks and Disney announce pay raises and better employee benefits thanks to savings from the new tax reform bill. We talk to the directors behind the newest Netflix series, "Dirty Money," premiering this Friday, January 26th. And Brett Holts, VP of Nike Running Footwear, introduces Nike's newest sneaker, the Epic React Flyknit.
Ben Wikler, Washington Director at MoveOn.org, discusses the backlash Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is facing in the wake of his decision to vote for government funding without a fix on DACA.
Alicia Menendez, contributing editor at Bustle, says that people often address DACA recipients as "others," but friends live in fear for their undocumented loved ones' safety.
