The U.S. Public Interest Research Group has released a report that is getting national attention, Vanishing Voters: Why Registered Voters Fall Off the Rolls. The report accuses 19 states of improperly purging voters from the rolls, in violation of federal law. <read>
Fifteen years after enactment of the NVRA, however, many states continue to appear unaware of the federal rules regarding voter roll purges. A survey of state laws and election officials shows that, on the eve of the 2008 general election, many voters across the country do not appear to enjoy the important voter protection provisions afforded by the NVRA.
Connecticut is among the 19 states accused of violating federal law, to the detriment of democracy.
Citations in the report where Connecticut is listed:
Of the 50 states included in our survey, 19 states appear
to be unaware of the 90-day requirement; the state statutes made no mention of the deadline and the election officials were unaware of one…Four states have statutes that directly contradict the 90-day rule by specifying deadlines that are less than 90 days before a federal election.
In Connecticut, for example, state law specifically allows a cleaning of the rolls no later than 35 days before the election. Section 9-35 (a) of the general statutes states that “the registrars of voters, on the Tuesday of the fifth week before each regular election, shall complete a list of all electors who will be entitled to vote at such election.†This provision in state law directly contradicts the NVRA directive…
Eleven states do not enforce the notification rule properly. They either do not require notices to besent or do not require them to be sent to all those mandated by the
NVRA to receive them…
