Thousands of purged Butler, Warren voters now eligible to cast ballot Tuesday

Thousands of purged voters in Butler and Warren counties are now eligible to vote in Tuesday’s election after a federal appeals court ordered purged non-voters restored to the voter rolls.

Thousands of purged voters in Butler and Warren counties are now eligible to vote in Tuesday’s election after a federal appeals court ordered purged non-voters restored to the voter rolls.
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Nov 2, 2018
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Tens of thousands of voters previously purged from Butler and Warren county voter rolls for not voting will be able to cast a provisional ballot in this year's midterm election after a federal appeals court ordered those voters restored.

Elections officials from both counties told the Journal-News they know which voters had been purged following the Ohio Secretary of State directive ordering their removal from the rolls.

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“When a voter is purged they are never really completely wiped away,” said Warren County elections director Brian Sleeth. “The record is just dormant, but I can always view it.”

Voters who have been purged for not voting will need to cast a provisional ballot.

“We will be able to search through those records this election to determine if any provisional ballots should be counted,” said Butler County elections deputy director Eric Corbin.

In all 43,822 voters have been purged since 2011 in Butler and Warren counties, but those who were purged for simply not voting will be eligible to vote in this election, according to a divided 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruling this past Wednesday.

Voting rights groups sought an emergency motion from the court, and the decision overturns in part an Oct. 10 ruling by a federal judge that said those voters had not been illegally purged from the state’s rolls, according to the Associated Press.

Election Day is Nov. 6.

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Michael D. Pitman has been a reporter in southwest Ohio since 1999. He's covered local governments in Warren and Butler counties, as well as state and national issues. He currently covers the cities of Fairfield and Hamilton.