Wisconsin Elections Commission deactivates over 100,000 voters as part of regular maintenance

MADISON - More than 100,000 voters were removed from the state's voter rolls as part of routine maintenance to ensure the integrity of voter registration lists, the Wisconsin Elections Commission announced last week.

The 108,378 voters deactivated from the state's database have not voted in the last four years and did not respond to a mailing about their registration status.

Here's what you should know about voter record maintenance and how to check if you're a registered voter in Wisconsin.

Why does the state remove voters?

The state routinely removes voters who have moved to a new address without re-registering, voters who have died, voters who asked to be deactivated and those who have not voted, according to Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Meagan Wolfe.

The maintenance process "helps keep our voter registration database as clean and updated as possible," Wolfe said in a statement.

The commission is required by state law to perform that maintenance every two years. Even outside of that two-year process, the commission works continually with local election officials to keep lists up-to-date, such as removing felons and people who have died.

How does the state determine who to remove?

Earlier this summer, the commission found 116,051 voters who had not voted since the November 2018 election. Those voters received postcards asking if they wanted to stay active on the state's voter list.

Voters who did not mail the postcard back to their local clerk within 30 days or whose postcard was marked as undelivered were removed from the state's rolls.

Of those 116,051 voters, 7,469 returned their postcard and asked to be kept as registered voters in Wisconsin. Only 11 voters requested that their registration be canceled.

Over 77,000 voters did not respond to the notice and over 30,000 were returned as undeliverable.

Clerks determined 387 voters had died and deactivated 296 voters for other reasons. Additionally, there were 235 duplicate voter records that were merged together.

Didn't the state Supreme Court weigh in on this issue?

The issue of voter rolls was brought up in a 2019 lawsuit ahead of the 2020 election. In 2021, the state Supreme Court ruled the elections commission did not have to immediately take voters off the rolls and could send notices to voters suspected of moving.

Liberals were concerned that voters could be bumped from the rolls close to major elections. Conservatives wanted voters taken off quickly to ensure the integrity of the database.

Have voter rolls been the subject of scrutiny?

Voter rolls came under more scrutiny following the 2020 presidential election after former President Donald Trump leveled baseless claims of widespread election fraud to explain his election loss.

Wisconsin's voter list is compiled by the Electronic Registration Information Center, a consortium that helps 30 states and Washington, D.C., maintain accurate voter rolls.

It uses change-of-address forms submitted to the U.S. Postal Service and vehicle registrations in Wisconsin and other states. Officials have acknowledged the system they use sometimes wrongly flags people as having moved and have said the lists should not be treated as the final word on whether voters have moved.

In some cases, people are incorrectly labeled as moving when they have registered a vehicle at a business address or relative's home.

At least three states have removed themselves from the organization largely due to baseless concerns over the 2020 election.

Who uses voter rolls?

The state's voter registration lists are also used by political parties and campaigns. Voter records include a registered voter's name, address, which elections they voted in and if they voted in-person or absentee.

Last month, two Republican lawmakers proposed capping the cost to obtain the state's list of registered voters at $250, down from the current fee of $12,000.

How do I check if I'm registered to vote?

Voters who are deactivated must re-register to vote at their current address. To update your voter information or check if you're registered to vote, visit myvote.wi.gov, where you can enter your name and date of birth.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Over 100,000 voters removed from rolls as part of routine maintenance