LOCALIZE IT: Conspiracies target effort to clean voter rolls

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

A bipartisan effort to help states combat voter fraud and ensure accurate lists of registered voters has found itself in the crosshairs of conspiracy theories fueled by Donald Trump’s false claim the 2020 election was rigged.

One state has left the Electronic Registration Information Center, more commonly known as ERIC, another is in the process of doing so and a handful of other Republican-led states are weighing whether to stay. The effort has become a target of suspicion among some Republicans after a series of online posts early last year questioning its funding and purpose.

ERIC was formed a decade ago by seven states and relies on data sharing to help states identify and remove people from their voter lists who have died or moved to other states. It currently includes 32 states and the District of Columbia, although that will change in April when Alabama formally exits the group.

Federal law requires states to conduct what is known as “list maintenance,” removing individuals from their voter rolls who are no longer eligible. This work must be uniform, nondiscriminatory and in compliance with the Voting Rights Act, according to federal law.

Federal law prohibits this activity within 90 days of an election.

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READ AP’S STORY

Election conspiracies fuel dispute over voter fraud system

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ADD LOCAL CONTEXT

States that participate in the ERIC program says it’s an important tool to keep their voter rolls accurate and identify any potential voter fraud involving people who cast ballots in multiple states.

Here is a list of current ERIC member states. Learn more about the program here.

Alabama (In April, Alabama will no longer be a member)

Alaska

Arizona

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Iowa

Kentucky

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Nevada

New Jersey

New Mexico

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

Washington, D.C.

West Virginia

Wisconsin

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DIG DEEPER

Regardless of whether your state is a member of ERIC, it’s important to understand what list maintenance looks like in your state. Voting rights groups have long been concerned about overly aggressive list maintenance that could result in eligible voters being removed.

Where to start?

The National Conference of State Legislatures has this helpful brief on voter list maintenance: https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voter-registration-list-maintenance

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission conducts a survey after each federal election and publishes a detailed report that includes information on registered voters and list maintenance activities by state.

The most current report, from the 2020 election, can be found here: https://www.eac.gov/sites/default/files/document_library/files/2020_EAVS_Report_Final_508c.pdf

Details on voters removed from the rolls can be found beginning on page 165 of the report.

In addition, state and local election officials will be a good resource for providing the latest information on their list maintenance activities.

Questions to ask: What are the various reasons someone can be removed from the state’s voter list? What data sources is used to identify potentially ineligible voters? How is this information verified? What guardrails are in place to ensure eligible voters are not removed? How many voters have been removed in each of the categories in recent years?

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Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.