Home foreclosures shouldn’t keep registered voters from polls

For this election, much attention has been focused on the millions of new registered voters. It provides us with the pleasant narrative of an active citizenry. At the same time tales of voter fraud and voter suppression make us uncomfortable and tend to turn people away.

Yet, as much as we might not want to, we need to engage these stories. Mistakes in the handling of registrations and voter files this election have caused problems in Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina. In some states, for every voter added to the rolls in the past two months, election officials have removed two.

Also distressing is the possibility that some citizens might see their ballot challenged if their home has recently been foreclosed. Democrats, persuaded by a conventional wisdom that says foreclosed voters will more likely come out against the GOP, are concerned Republicans will do just that.

Pressed in Marion County in Indiana, the GOP announced they have no plans to engage in this activity, yet they didn’t rule it out. County GOP Chairman Tom John said in an Oct. 3 Indianapolis Star article: “It’s entirely possible. I think it would be a solid basis for asking someone to vote provisionally.”

By using home foreclosure lists, Republicans could keep citizens who would otherwise be eligible to vote from casting their ballot due to a change of address that hasn’t been verified.  

Provisional ballots, usually reserved for those who do not have a proper ID or whose names aren’t in poll books, can be checked for legitimacy by the local election board and are counted up after the election. Unfortunately, as voters often have to go to county election boards to provide appropriate documentation, this extra hurdle inevitably discourages plenty of people.

Many Midwestern states are tackling this issue. Barack Obama has already filed a lawsuit against the GOP in Michigan to keep them from using foreclosure lists to keep voters from casting their ballots, according to the Indianapolis Star article.

The problem has nothing to do with allowing the local election board to review the validity of the voters’ residence. It is wrong to discourage citizens from casting their ballot due to their economic distress.

Ohio has dealt with this issue by allowing residents to register and vote on the same day as casting an absentee ballot or during the first six days of early voting. This allows for those who have been foreclosed on to offer an up-to-date address at the same time they vote.

As long as registered voters who have been foreclosed on in the state of Indiana remain in their district, no one should hinder their right to vote.