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Nearly 155,000 people were purged from Ohio's voter rolls in the latest wave of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's effort to coordinate with county boards of elections to ensure accurate, up-to-date lists of those who are legally able to vote.
"Every Ohioan, regardless of their political views, should care about accurate voter rolls," LaRose said as his office announced the purge. "Diligent list maintenance helps prevent voter fraud and ensures the voice of the voters is heard on Election Day."
It also means Ohioans must be diligent in checking whether they are still eligible to vote, ahead of the Nov. 5 general election.
According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the 154,995 people whose names were removed from the rolls may have filled out a change-of-address form with the U.S. Postal Service to indicate they were moving, or may not have voted at their registered address in the past four years after being marked for removal by a county voter registration system.
That large number of names also partially reflects the reality that for all of the talk we hear every time any election is held, there are a significant number of people who only want to vote during a presidential election year.
Even if you do not believe one of those situations is relevant for you, it's a good idea to check on your registration. The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 5 general election is Oct. 7.
While you're checking, at ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/, be sure to look up your polling place, too.
Whether you head to the polls in every election or go just once every four Novembers, no one wants a nasty surprise when they try to vote in the Nov. 5 election. LaRose is right to boast of being thorough in his job. The rest of us must make sure we are still able to do ours.