On October 9, 2008, the New York Times published a report stating findings that thousands of eligible voters in swing states had been removed from voter rolls in violation of federal law. The report came after both the Ohio Supreme Court and the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit rejected challenges to directives by the Ohio Secretary of State to co-mingle absentee and regular ballots. Similar concerns had also arisen in Wisconsin, where elections officials feared voter confusion as a result of a lawsuit brought by the Wisconsin Department of Justice that threatened to disenfranchise thousands of voters. Recent controversy over voting ID laws has spurned litigation in states like Pennsylvania and Mississippi.

Read an overview of US Voting Rights in Features.

Also on This Day at Law:


DNA testing bill passed US Congress
Fiji High Court dismissed challenge to 2006 coup