The New York Times reports that six of the biggest swing states this cycle have been improperly purging voters from the rolls.
The six swing states seem to be in violation of federal law in two ways. Michigan and Colorado are removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election, which is not allowed except when voters die, notify the authorities that they have moved out of state, or have been declared unfit to vote.
Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio seem to be improperly using Social Security data to verify registration applications for new voters.
The Help America Vote Act compelled states to compile their own voter databases because using the social security database had proven to be an inaccurate method of checking registration that often removed eligible voters from the rolls. The Social Security list is meant to be used as a last resort, but the Times reports that many states are using it first instead. Between states purging voters too close to the election, and the use of flawed Social Security data, it seems that thousands of voters in key states may be prevented from voting on Election Day.
Aside from the poor matching criteria used in purges, one of the biggest problems is the secrecy with which they're carried out. There should be guidelines for voter purges that include the state notifying people who have been purged--some states, like New York, actually do that. If you're going to remove someone's voter registration, they have a right to know. In an ideal situation, states would announce they're going to purge voters in advance of doing so--so that people can make sure their information is accurate and up to date.
It just so happens that in Ohio, the Republican Party is trying to get their hands on the list of names that have been flagged by the Social Security database in order to challenge voters at the rolls. As I said above, that database is extremely unreliable, which is why states have been told to create their own databases and use the Social Security data only as a last resort. In other words, the numbers they want are unreliable, but they'll use them to keep people from voting anyway.
--A. Serwer
