Ohio Must Check Voter Registrations: Court

GOP wins fight to have new registrations cross-checked with government info
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 15, 2008 6:00 AM CDT
Ohio Must Check Voter Registrations: Court
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner meets with Cuyahoga County elections board officials in Cleveland on Sunday, March 2, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jason Miller)

A federal appeals court has sided with the GOP and ordered Ohio to set up a computer system by Friday to verify new voter registrations, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Registrations must now be cross-checked with other government information. Ohio's secretary of state, accused of partisan bias by Republicans, had argued that the existing system was sufficient.

The current system "is essentially useless," the court ruled—"not unlike asking for a drink of water and being given access to a fire hose at full volume." Ohio's election process has been the focus of fierce partisan battles, and is among the states where the left-leaning group ACORN is accused of registration fraud. It’s unclear whether the decision will be appealed to the Supreme Court.
(More Ohio stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X