The Voter Purge Project Identifies Major Issues, Key Trends in Battleground States

New Orleans, LA — On October 18, the Voter Purge Project (VPP) released its second major report identifying significant issues and key trends in battleground states prior to the November 2022 General Election. Following their 2020 report, Unnecessary Disenfranchisement, the VPP team tasked their unique database management system to compare year-over changes in voter registration data for the report The Voter Purge Project: A Look at Trends in Battleground States. 

As the November General Election nears the question of wrongful voter purges maintains urgency. Looking at eight battleground states, the Voter Purge Project finds that states are still quick to purge voters, the number of new undeclared voters is growing at a faster rate than new registrations with either party, growth in the number of young voters lags behind the growth in the 18-24 y.o. population, and known voter suppression efforts appear to be effective in some states. 

Since its convening, the Voter Purge Project has been analyzing changes in voter lists from nearly 30 states with an increasing understanding of how voters get removed from state voter rolls. “Our unique knowledge of the way voter files are kept and maintained by states allows a level of precision in comparing change in voter rolls over time,” says Wade Rathke. “This analysis helped identify over 60,000 newly registered ‘inactive’ voters in battleground states that are in jeopardy of being unfairly removed from the rolls.”

Given the availability of data from different states, the new VPP report highlights trends in the types of voters experiencing unnecessary disenfranchisement and the continued need for state election authorities to address issues with their voter rolls. 

The Voter Purge Project protects eligible voters against disenfranchisement by monitoring, reporting on, and organizing against wrongful voter purging.