Ohio voter purge will hit Asian Americans

ASAM NEWS

IF YOU can’t beat them, get rid of them. That may be the philosophy of the Trump administration and the Republican party who are moving to purge the voter rolls in Ohio.

Poll after poll shows Asian/Americans and Latinx overwhelmingly vote Democratic.

They are also less likely to vote in an election.

In the swing state of Ohio, political leaders are “purportedly” purging the voting rolls of people who may have moved, but groups such as Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Latino Justice PRLDEF say in reality the practice targets voters who fail to vote.

The case has gone to the U.S. Supreme Court where oral arguments will be heard.

In a statement, People for the American Way says “Asian American and Latino registrants vote at lower rates than the rest of the U.S. population. Because of their lower voting rates, Asian/Americans and Latinos are more likely to be subject to Ohio’s Supplemental Process and purged from the registration lists than any other racial group.”

According to the Toledo Blade,a former Justice Department official says the support of the purge by the Trump White House is unprecedented.

“It’s been the long-standing position of the Department of Justice that it is unlawful under the National Voting Registration Act to start a voter purge process based on a failure to vote,” said Sam Bagenstos, former principal deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights who has served under both Democrats and Republicans.

“The Supplemental Process thus does not violate (the law) because it does not remove registrants solely for their initial failure to vote,” the Trump administration wrote in its brief filed in August. “Registrants are sent a notice because of that initial failure, but they are not removed unless they fail to respond and fail to vote for the additional period…”

The case is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court November 8.
________________________________________________________________________________