Found Out I Had Been Purged From the Roll in Texas

[JCMach1]

I went to the Elections office in Collin County, TX (north Dallas suburbs) to register my wife (new US Citizen) to vote for the first time. No issues there, but I needed to change my voting address and found I had been purged... Note, I had voted in every election since moving to Texas.

Just a bit of a warning, it's not just Georgia that was being purged with Kobach's lists... Check your registration.

Finally, we both have our new registration cards.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Wow, good thing you checked!

Otherwise you'd have had an unpleasant surprise on election day.

Wonder why you got purged?

[JCMach1]

3. There is at least one other person with an almost identical name to mine in another state

That seems to be the pattern...

My name is unusual, soooo yeah IT happened.

[diva77]

21. Yep, you got it right - that's what Crosscheck does. KKKobach tried to take away your right to vote

I'm glad you caught it in time.

[SunSeeker]

2. Thank you for getting your cards and for the warning to others!

I am sure a lot of Beto voters are the target of these illegal purges.

[ProudLib72]

4. I just checked mine again

Whew! I was still there. But CO has a fucking R in charge of voter registration, and he was all for the Kobach review. You never know with these assholes. They might wait until the last second to decide to purge.

[JCMach1]

5. The other thing they do is NOT NOTIFY YOU

so yeah, it could be a nasty election day surprise...

[Power 2 the People]

6. Snakes

[iluvtennis]

13. +++ agree.

[FakeNoose]

7. They're running checks against the drivers license database

It's not a nefarious plot against Democrats either, because just as many Republicans got dropped in every state.

States are doing this, they compare voter reg records against the drivers license records. Every state assumes that the drivers license data is up-to-date or no more than a couple years old. So if they find any discrepancies they assume the voter reg record is out of date. Instead of contacting YOU to find out which is correct, they just kill the voter record and it's up to you to re-register in time. If your voter registration says your name is JOE JONES and your drivers license says it's JOSEPH E JONES, that's a discrepancy. If you moved, got married, or something else changed, they'll flag your voter record and freeze it.

Problem is, most people don't find out they've been dropped until election day, and they missed the 30-day window to re-register. It's always best to check and confirm that you're still registered to vote. You can do it online by using this link:

https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/

(Scroll down to your state and click to see if you're registered. It takes about 30 seconds)

Keep in mind that you MIGHT be asked to provide a photo ID when you go to vote, so have a drivers license, military ID, or passport ready when you vote.

[Grassy Knoll]

10. Thanks , I'm Registered

[FakeNoose]

16. Glad to hear it!

I didn't mean to overload you with info. The above link is for people who don't already know about the issue.

[OhNo-Really]

8. I was purged too. Had to change address on licence then re-register. Everyone should confirm statu

[Liberal In Texas]

9. Checked on the website today, was still A-OK. n/t

[ProudProgressiveNow]

11. KR NT

[Roadside Attraction]

12. Facts

This is what causes most people to be "purged from the voting rolls."

Most of us, when we move, file a change of address notice with the Postal Service.

Each year in July, the USPS sends to each state a list of the people in that state who have filed a change of address form. The states then check the new address on record with the USPS to the address on your voter registration. If your old address is on your voter registration, federal law requires the state send a letter to you by forwardable mail. The letter asks you to reply within 30 days to verify your new address.

If you do not respond you are placed on the INACTIVE VOTER roster. If you are listed as inactive and you show up to vote, you will be able to vote, but, you must update your address at the same time. Each state has a slightly different process for this.

HOWEVER, if you are an inactive voter, AND, if you do not vote in TWO SUCCESSIVE FEDERAL ELECTIONS -- a total of four years -- then, your name is removed from the voting rolls.

If your name has been removed from the rolls as described above, and you show up to vote, you will need to prove that you are eligible to vote and you can vote. Otherwise, you will be given a provisional ballot and will have a few days to establish your eligibility to have the provisional count.

I live in rural Virginia where I am a member of our county Electoral Board. Each year, when Virginia receives the change of address list, someone tells the press and we have to deal with claims of "150,000 voters purged!!!!" Not true. In 2018, 189,965 notices were mailed to voters whose addresses had changed. 100,980 were placed in inactive status because they did not respond to the notice.

Here is the annual Voter List Maintenance Report filed by the VA Dept of Elections:
https://www.elections.virginia.gov/Files/maintenance-reports/2018SBEListMaintenancereport.pdf

[Salviati]

14. One doesn't normally hear of such shenanigans going on in Washington state...

... but the importance of the upcoming election had me checking all the same.

Check yours in Washington state here:

https://weiapplets.sos.wa.gov/myvote/#/login

[Honeycombe8]

15. I used to live in Dallas. The voter registrations there expire. You have to renew.

They expire whether you vote or not. I don't know if it's just Dallas or the whole state.

Where I am now, there's no indication that it expires. I've checked my card several times, and online. I couldn't believe it wouldn't expire, but apparently it doesn't.

[argyl]

19. In both Denton and Collin County you're automatically renewed.

Didn't know that about Dallas County.

[Liberal In Texas]

22. I've been voting here in Dallas since 1981. My registration has never expired.

I've moved a few times but have been in my current address for 17 years, and no expiration. They send a new card just before the old one expires.

I think the Dallas county elections people do a great job.

[Honeycombe8]

34. Yes, that's how it is. I forgot the details. I didn't de-register when I moved...

there wasn't an easy way to do that, so I just let it expire, which it would, since I wouldn't be voting there.

When I voted, I would always watch to make sure I got my card in time. You didn't need the card to vote, or maybe you could print it from online, but I liked to get my card stamped. I loved having all the stamps of times I voted on my card.

[cannabis_flower]

25. If you vote it is automatically renewed

I have gotten voter registration cards with new expirations in the mail when I didn't expect them.

[Honeycombe8]

31. Ah, I didn't remember that. Yes, I would get the new one in the mail. But you have to follow up....

to make sure you get it. Or print it out online.

I ALWAYS vote, so I guess I didn't have to worry. But I have moved from there. I didn't bother to de-register, since my card would expire.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

17. Stories like this make me wonder how other countries handle voter registration.

Purging rolls of voters who no longer live at that address is a good idea. Several years ago when I was doing door-to-door campaigning with voter registration list in hand, sometimes I'd have then or more people with three or more different surnames listed at that same address. I think that if someone moves and registers at the new location, the old registration is automatically (and correctly purged), but I suppose that depends on the state. In this case people had clearly moved and not re-registered or at least the old registration at that address had not been purged.

It also seems like a reasonable thing to purge dead voters off the list.

[AdamGG]

18. Yes, but the Republicans' obsession with this is a political strategy

They focused on it at the same time as voter ID's and gin up hysteria about conspiracies of illegitimate voting that there's no evidence of. It's the same reason they attacked ACORN. They're a minority party and the moneyed interests that back them want them to enact policies that an actual majority of people wouldn't vote for.

[Honeycombe8]

32. The automatic expiration would solve that. If someone doesn't vote in that precinct...

in the year, the registration automatically expires.

[radical noodle]

23. I always check here in Florida

I don't trust Scott for a moment since I'm registered as a Democrat.

[Qutzupalotl]

24. Here' a good link to share around:

http://www.vote.org

You can check and update your registration status there.

[blueniteflower]

30. I just checked

It says I'm not registered but I just voted in the primary last month, so IDK, why. I'm for sure registered though.

[Honeycombe8]

33. Mine is online in my states voter portal. It was online where I lived before, too.

To de-register in Dallas County, you have to send a letter. I went to do it online, but it didn't allow that. So I didn't do anything...it would expire within a year, since I wouldn't be voting in that precinct.

[exboyfil]

26. My wife, two daughters, and myself are registered

to vote. My oldest daughter still on my address. My son in law is not. I don't think I am going to tell him (he is right wing).

[ROB-ROX]

27. I was removed twice in two elections

I live in California, which is located in a VERY red county. I have been removed twice in the past 3 years.. Last week in the mail we were sent voting information for people who have not lived here in over 20 years and family members who have moved in the past 3 years. I see my removal as a PURGE. I just registered AGAIN. My vote in my district does not mean much because of all the GOP drones, but in the state I am the majority. The GOP is weak and sick of their lack of representation with political power.........

[Laura PourMeADrink]

28. Kick

[Niagara]

29. I'm glad that you checked. Kicking! n/t