CBS Report: New Questions About Voter Purging

By Maya Nesbit
Published: October 1, 2008
Updated: October 1, 2008

A record number of voters are expected to turn out for the upcoming presidential election, but a new report, obtained exclusively by CBS News, raises serious questions about a little-known process that could cost you your right to vote.
States regularly update their voter registration rolls for accuracy, removing those who have moved, passed away, or committed a felony. It’s called voter purging.
A new report, by the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice, obtained by CBS news, offers troubling new insight into the process, calling it “chaotic,“ “riddled with inaccuracies,“ and “vulnerable to manipulation.“
The report cites several controversial purges this year alone including: 700 voters in one Georgia County, 10,000 in Mississippi, 21,000 in Louisiana.
The report says the reasons for the incorrect purgings, range from clerical errors to mistakes in matching names, addresses and criminal histories.
Another new study discovered 19 states are ignoring a federal law banning systematic purges within 90 days of a federal election, including the battleground states of Colorado, Ohio, and Nevada.