Elections staff explains voter‑roll removals after public concerns about purges and dual registrations

Elections office staff told the Delaware County Board of Elections on Jan. 14 that routine maintenance of the voter rolls produced two separate counts: a December automated removal program identified 18,401 records eligible for cancellation after two federal election cycles of inactivity, and a Jan. 2 five‑year notice identified 2,369 additional voters with no activity for five years.

"This year, we ran it and ... identified 18,401 voters that have been inactive for two federal elections," Crystal Jackson, the elections office staffer overseeing voter registration processing, said. Jackson said the office sent the five‑year notices and began canceling records in accordance with state procedures; she added that canceled records are not reactivated — a new registration would be required.

Why it matters

Several public commenters at the meeting said they had identified voters who cast ballots in the November election but were later removed from the county's rolls. Those speakers urged the board to explain whether ballots from removed voters were improperly counted and whether the county had fulfilled its legal duties to challenge or refer…