OHIO — Ohio’s Secretary of State is warning people about misleading voter registration forms showing up in mailboxes.
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The unsolicited forms appear to have been sent from a county election office. Secretary of State Frank LaRose said that’s the problem.
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He said these out-of-state groups are buying addresses from data brokers.
The problem is some of that data isn’t up to date, and forms are mailed to people who are already registered or even dead.
“Generally, getting people registered to vote is a good idea. But when they send these inaccurate mailings out, they’re going to bad addresses or bad info in some cases; it just creates a lot of confusion and concern among people,” LaRose said.
Mailing voter registration forms is protected by the First Amendment.
The League of Women Voters Ohio is one of the many groups that try to get people registered to vote.
The goal is really to make sure as many people as possible are registered to vote on time.
“Because our policies aren’t as voter-friendly as other states, third-party groups like the League of Women Voters and others are critical for making sure that every Ohioan knows how to get registered and that they actually do get registered so they can vote,” Jen Miller, with the League of Women Voters Ohio, said.
LaRose said checking with your county board of elections is the best way to be sure you’re registered to vote in November’s election.
Voters can also check on the state election website.
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