Reece applauds federal decision ordering stop to Ohio's illegal voter purge

Ohio Legislative Black Caucus President and state Rep. Alicia Reece (D-Cincinnati) responded to today’s 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision overturning the district court and ordering Secretary of State Jon Husted to stop purging voters for inactivity:

“Thankfully, today’s court decision effectively halts Ohio’s unlawful voter registration cancellations and will hopefully lead to the end of this arbitrary silencing of voters’ voices.”

“I believe there is never a good reason to make it harder for The People to exercise their most fundamental American freedom. Just like we wouldn’t send our brave men and women in uniform into battle without equipment and provisions, our American political system shouldn’t be in the business of cutting corners when it comes to upholding the freedom that so many have fought and died to protect.

“It is disappointing that taxpayers have been forced to foot the bill defending on expensive, politically motivated voter purge that disproportionately impacts low-income and minority voters. I hope today’s voting rights victory marks a turning point in our state, one where our elected officials who are sworn to uphold the right to vote finally do just that.”

Reece is a long-time voting rights advocate and leads the ongoing push for a Voter Bill of Rights, a grassroots effort to amend the state constitution to protect all Ohioans’ right to vote. The Voter Bill of Rights would amend the state constitution to define the right to vote as a fundamental right, establish early voting dates and times, allow the legislature to prescribe proper training and staffing for polling locations, create an online voter registration system, protect against voter ID requirements and voter registration tests, and include safeguards that ensure provisional ballots are counted.