Ohio, which could be a key state in the upcoming presidential election, has seen a rash of voting-related issues arise, including a lawsuit by the state Republican Party claiming the statewide voter database is not in compliance with HAVA-required matching of voter registration with state and federal databases. According to media reports, some 200,000 Ohio registrations did not match, so those voters could be prevented from casting a ballot.
Earlier this month the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio entered an order directing Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to correct the statewide database, effectively barring the disputed registrations. Brunner, according to
an analysis by the Brennan Center, said that it was "imperative that voters not be disenfranchised because of federal government red tape, misstated technical information or glitches in databases beyond the control of voters."
Then on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court
vacated the earlier ruling while not giving an opinion on whether the state properly implemented HAVA.
Wayne E. Hanson served as a writer and editor with e.Republic from 1989 to 2013, having worked for several business units including Government Technology magazine, the Center for Digital Government, Governing, and Digital Communities. Hanson was a juror from 1999 to 2004 with the Stockholm Challenge and Global Junior Challenge competitions in information technology and education.
