Kaptur at Supreme Court: Ohioans should not be purged from voter rolls

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Dean of the Ohio Delegation, spoke at a press conference at the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the constitutional rights of Ohioans who have been purged from voter rolls and to condemn the clear voter suppression implicit in denying eligible citizens access to the ballot box. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute. The case revolves around Larry Harmon, who tried to vote in an Ohio local election in 2015 only to find that the state had removed him from the voter rolls because he had not voted since 2008.

"The Justices here will decide how far states can go in purging their election rolls. Voting should be easy. There should not be barriers of any kind to cast a ballot, and that includes being purged," said Kaptur.

"When our forefathers founded this country, they certainly didn't stipulate that our democracy should be hidden behind a barbed wire fence. Ultimately, what is right will prevail," Kaptur concluded.

You can watch Kaptur's entire speech here.

Also, Kaptur met with Oak Harbor, Ohio Mayor Joe Helle, a veteran and public servant was purged from the voter rolls. Watch that conversation here.