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Ohio Must Check Voter Registrations: Court

GOP wins fight to have new registrations cross-checked with government info

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 15, 2008 6:00 AM CDT

(Newser) – A federal appeals court has sided with the GOP and ordered Ohio to set up a computer system by Friday to verify new voter registrations, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Registrations must now be cross-checked with other government information. Ohio's secretary of state, accused of partisan bias by Republicans, had argued that the existing system was sufficient.

The current system "is essentially useless," the court ruled—"not unlike asking for a drink of water and being given access to a fire hose at full volume." Ohio's election process has been the focus of fierce partisan battles, and is among the states where the left-leaning group ACORN is accused of registration fraud. It’s unclear whether the decision will be appealed to the Supreme Court.

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Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner meets with Cuyahoga County elections board officials in Cleveland on Sunday, March 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Jason Miller)

Voters fill out absentee ballots at the Franklin County Veterans Memorial polling place Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Smith)

Bernard Bowens of the Service Employees International Union holds a sign while taking part in a march down Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008. (AP Photo/David Smith)

Voter Tim Murray fills out his absentee ballot at the Franklin County Veterans Memorial polling place in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008. V (AP Photo/David Smith)

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As far as we can tell, the problem with the current system is not that it is insufficiently user-friendly but that it is effectively useless. - The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati

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Ohio Must Check Voter Registrations: Court