Ohio purged 155,000 voters from the rolls. See if your registration was affected

Ohio removed more than 155,000 people from the voter rolls ahead of the November election, including tens of thousands inactive voters and non-U.S. citizens who were registered to vote.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose said election officials canceled 154,995 inactive registrations as part of a routine, but controversial process of cleaning up the state's voter registration list. The move came weeks after his office published a list of 158,857 registrations that were eligible for cancellation, meaning nearly 3,900 people contacted election officials to stay on the rolls.

The number includes people who moved to a new address, failed to update their registration and did not engage in voter activity − such as casting a ballot − over the past four years. LaRose's office also removed registrations that were previously flagged for removal but never got taken out of the system.

"Every Ohioan, regardless of their political views, should care about accurate voter rolls," LaRose said. "Diligent list maintenance helps prevent voter fraud and ensures the voice of the voters is heard on Election Day."

On top of the inactive registrations, LaRose said the state removed 499 non-citizens from the rolls. Under federal and state law − including an amendment to the Ohio Constitution passed in 2022 − Ohioans must be U.S. citizens to vote in federal, state and local elections.

Voting rights advocates contend Ohio doesn't effectively manage its voter rolls. They have also criticized LaRose for pulling Ohio out of the Election Registration Information Center, or ERIC, a multistate program that aims to help states maintain accurate rolls.

"The best way to keep our voter rolls up to date is automatic voter registration," said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. "We would like to see more transparency so we can better understand who was removed for not voting in recent elections. If we can learn that, we can better design nonpartisan voter education programs that increase turnout."

How do I check if I was purged from the voter rolls?

Ohioans can check their registration status at voterlookup.ohiosos.gov . You can also visit registrationreadiness.ohiosos.gov to see if your registration was among those canceled.

Eligible voters who had their registration canceled can re-register.

How do I register to vote in Ohio?

Ohioans can register to vote online at olvr.ohiosos.gov or mail a form to their county board of elections. In-person registration is available at boards of elections, BMV locations, public libraries and several other locations .

You'll need to provide:

• Name
• Address
• Date of birth
• Either 1) Your Ohio driver's license or state ID number or 2) The last four digits of your Social Security number.

Voters must be U.S. citizens, age 18 or older and residents of Ohio for at least 30 days before the election. People are barred from registering if they're incarcerated for a felony or permanently disenfranchised for violating election laws.

What's the deadline to register to vote?

If you want to vote in the Nov. 5 election, you must register by Oct. 7.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio purged 155,000 voters from the rolls. See if your registration was affected