Cleveland homeless shelter is Ohio's top voter purge address
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
The address with the most voters to be purged in Ohio in 2024 is 2100 Lakeside Ave., the Cleveland men's homeless shelter run by Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry.
Why it matters: People experiencing homelessness or with unstable housing are especially susceptible to disenfranchisement, as they struggle to maintain residency and respond to mail from their local board of elections.
- 2100 Lakeside is the largest homeless shelter in Ohio.
Catch up quick: In June, the Ohio Secretary of State's office released a list of nearly 160,000 Ohioans who would be purged from voter rolls if they didn't contact their local board of election by July 22.
- Voters who do not update their mailing address, do not vote for four years and do not respond to letters from their local board of elections, or who do not vote for six years are subject to removal.
Between the lines: Homeless shelters and other treatment centers are among the locations with the most voters registered at a single address, according to analysis from Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates (NOVA).
By the numbers: Nearly 400 people registered at 2100 Lakeside Ave. are on the purge list.
- Also on the list: 121 voters at Haven of Rest in Akron; 65 at the Norma Herr Women's Shelter in Cleveland; and 20 at the Oriana House in Cleveland.
What they're saying: The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections says the process is designed to remove voters who have moved out of state or died.
- "There's some misinterpretation that people think that we are haphazardly going and canceling people's voter registrations, and we're not," Tony Kaloger, deputy director for the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, told WKYC this month.
The other side: NOVA's Cid Standifer told the Ohio Capital Journal that Ohio's voter purges "systematically disenfranchise" the state's most vulnerable people.
The latest: Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, the nonprofit that operates at 2100 Lakeside Ave., informed Axios that it is aware of the situation and is creating a voting guide and other resources to help unhoused individuals address these circumstances.
Be smart: The full list of voters about to be purged is viewable at the Secretary of State's Registration Readiness website.
What's next: Any Ohioan whose name was purged is able to re-register ahead of the next election.
- The voter registration deadline for the November general election is Oct. 7.