Election Officials Worried About Foreclosures and Voting Rolls

In Columbus, Ohio, election officials are becoming worried about the possible problems that might arise when voting day comes. Registered voters who have lost their homes to foreclosure might endure some inconveniences since their addresses are now different. In addition, their provisional ballots might not be counted if they fail to make the necessary changes.

For local officials, this is a serious issue. During the 2004 election, the state of Ohio actually provided a 118,000 vote victory for President Bush, allowing him to get the electoral votes needed to swing the election.

Last January, the Franklin County Board of Elections actually sent out 27,000 notices to residents who filled-out change of address forms but have not yet returned to complete the voter registration process. According to the board, the responsibility of updating information lies with the voters and not the county. The responsibility of the county only involves removing registered voters who have not voted for the past eight elections. This includes voters who have passed away.

During Election Day, voters are required to provide any proof of identification. If the information on the voter registration form is not updated, it could really cause much inconvenience.

Election officials have also reason to be worried about the effects of foreclosure on voting rolls considering that the city of Columbus has the 32nd highest foreclosure rate among cities in the United States. The state of Ohio, on the other hand, has the 9th highest foreclosure rate among states for the month of May.

Of course, states such as Nevada, California, Florida, Michigan and Florida have the same concern with their voting polls especially with their large number of foreclosure filings. Nationwide, foreclosure rate for the month of May rose by 48.32 percent compared to last year, with one foreclosure filing for every 483 households.

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