Voter Purges

Protecting the Voter Rolls

It’s one thing to get citizens onto the voter rolls. But it’s equally important that we make sure eligible voters stay on the rolls.

Under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), states are tasked with maintaining current and accurate voter registration databases. However, the lack of clear and uniform standards for list maintenance has resulted in inconsistent standards from state to state, and poorly developed “voter purge” programs have often led to the mass disenfranchisement of eligible voters. Frequently, such ill-conceived purge programs have had a disproportionate impact on minority populations.

The removal of voters from the rolls needs to be undertaken with the greatest of care, and in complete compliance with the standards established by federal law, including the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which contains a number of procedural protections to protect eligible voters from wrongful removals.

Project Vote closely monitors, investigates, and where necessary brings suits against illegal and discriminatory voter purge activity.

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Another Battleground State Plans Questionable Voter Roll Cleanup

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Kicking masses of voters off the rolls before the November election appears to be a troubling trend in battleground states.... Read more

Florida Plaintiffs File Suit to Protect Their Right to Vote Statewide

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WASHINGTON, DC – Today, civil and voting rights organizations Advancement Project, Fair Elections Legal Network, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and Project Vote... Read more

Longtime voter’s eligibility questioned in Volusia

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Eileen Selis was born in Pennsylvania, and has voted in almost every presidential election since Dwight D. Eisenhower's re-election in 1956. But that hasn't stopped the state of Florida from questioning her right to vote. Read more

Civil Rights Groups File ‘Most Expansive’ Lawsuit Against Florida Over Voter Purging

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To date, dozens of Floridians and U.S. citizens have come forward stating that they were wrongly identified as “non-citizens” and are at risk of losing their right to vote. Read more

Voter advocates sue Fla. over purge

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“This program clearly is using faulty data to purge people from the rolls." Read more

More Lawsuits Over Florida Voter Purge

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Civil and voting rights organizations filed suit today alleging the purge violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans discrimination in voting practices. Read more

Voting Rights Coalition Files Suit Over Florida Voter Purge

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“This lawsuit will protect eligible voters in every county in Florida from walking into a polling place only to find that the state has erroneously decreed they cannot participate in this election,” Catherine M. Flanagan of Project Vote said. Read more

Voter groups file suit against state to stop non-citizen voter purge

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Voter groups and two Miami-Dade women who were wrongly targeted in the state’s non-citizen voter purge sued the state today in U.S. District Court in Miami. Read more

Coalition of voting rights groups the latest to sue Rick Scott on voting purge

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"Florida has an ugly history of illegally removing eligible voters in election years," said Catherine M. Flanagan of Project Vote. Read more

Florida hit with new lawsuit over voter purge effort

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Florida was hit with a new lawsuit on Tuesday over its efforts, under Republican Governor Rick Scott, to purge non-citizens from the state's voter rolls. Read more