The U.S. Supreme Court Monday declined to take up a voting rights case on a technical challenge to the state’s right to reject a voter registration application on the basis of an error or omission unrelated to the voter’s qualifications. The justices refused to hear an appeal by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, which challenged Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted about whether private parties can appeal an Ohio voter-roll purge under the Voting Rights Act. The provisions effectively keep voters from registering if they have made a small error in their registration or voter forms, such as writing a name in legible cursive rather than in print, omitting a zip code, or missing a digit from a Social Security number, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, which supported the claimants in this case.
The case stems from an October 2014 lawsuit brought by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Columbus Coalition for the Homeless, and the Ohio Democratic Party.
“Today’s decision by the court brings this case to a close and reaffirms that we have a fair and well-run system of elections in Ohio,” Husted said in response to the court action.
The overall case was decided last fall, but the coalition filed a side appeal on a “materiality” question, asking the court to allow private parties, and not only government entities to challenge voting rights matters.
Full Article: U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear Ohio voting rights appeal.