Ohio purges thousands from voter rolls

Ohio removed thousands of citizens from the state voter rolls this week due to inactivity, Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced.

Why it matters: Those impacted are urged to re-register if they want to cast a ballot this year.

State of play: Ohio has a "use it or lose it" system when it comes to staying active on its eligible voter list.

• Those who do not vote, update their registration address or respond to board of elections notices over a six-year period are automatically removed.

Zoom in: Nearly 11,000 voters registered in Franklin County were taken off the rolls.

Be smart: It's worth taking a few seconds to search the state's list of removed names, even if you are a regular voter.

• The state has mistakenly purged thousands of active voters in the past.

The big picture: Those earlier issues have made Ohio's voter purging a controversial practice, but one upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

• LaRose says it's necessary in order to clean the voter rolls of those who have moved or died.