More Voters Are Being Kicked Off the Rolls, Especially in States with a History of Discrimination
Voters are being deleted from the rolls at a significantly higher rate than they were a decade ago, creating the possibility that an increasing number of citizens will be disenfranchised in the 2018 midterm elections and beyond.
According to a new study from the Brennan Center for Justice, nearly 4 million more names were deleted from the rolls between 2014 and 2016 than in a comparable period between 2006 and 2008—a 33 percent increase that far outpaces the increase in the number of eligible voters. Purging is the process by which election officials keep the rolls up to date by removing people who have moved away or died. While careful purging is a necessary part of election administration, aggressive purges have long been used as a voter suppression tool, and often target poor and minority voters at significantly higher rates.
