Section 3503.21 | Occurrences resulting in cancellation of registration.
(A) The registration of a registered elector shall be canceled upon the occurrence of any of the following:
(1) The filing by a registered elector of a written request with a board of elections or the secretary of state, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state and signed by the elector, that the registration be canceled. The filing of such a request does not prohibit an otherwise qualified elector from reregistering to vote at any time.
(2) The filing of a notice of the death of a registered elector as provided in section 3503.18 of the Revised Code;
(3) The filing with the board of elections of a certified copy of the death certificate of a registered elector by the deceased elector's spouse, parent, or child, by the administrator of the deceased elector's estate, or by the executor of the deceased elector's will;
(4) The conviction of the registered elector of a felony under the laws of this state, any other state, or the United States as provided in section 2961.01 of the Revised Code;
(5) The adjudication of incompetency of the registered elector for the purpose of voting as provided in section 5122.301 of the Revised Code;
(6) The change of residence of the registered elector to a location outside the county of registration in accordance with division (B) of this section;
(7) The failure of the registered elector, after having been mailed a confirmation notice, to do either of the following:
(a) Respond to such a notice and vote at least once during a period of four consecutive years, which period shall include two general federal elections;
(b) Update the elector's registration and vote at least once during a period of four consecutive years, which period shall include two general federal elections.
(8) The receipt by the board of elections of a cancellation notice or request pursuant to section 111.44 of the Revised Code.
(B)(1) The secretary of state shall prescribe procedures to identify and cancel the registration in a prior county of residence of any registrant who changes the registrant's voting residence to a location outside the registrant's current county of registration. Any procedures prescribed in this division shall be uniform and nondiscriminatory, and shall comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The secretary of state may prescribe procedures under this division that include the use of the national change of address service provided by the United States postal system through its licensees. Any program so prescribed shall be completed not later than ninety days prior to the date of any primary or general election for federal office.
(2) The registration of any elector identified as having changed the elector's voting residence to a location outside the elector's current county of registration shall not be canceled unless the registrant is sent a confirmation notice on a form prescribed by the secretary of state and the registrant fails to respond to the confirmation notice or otherwise update the registration and fails to vote in any election during the period of two federal elections subsequent to the mailing of the confirmation notice.
(C) The registration of a registered elector shall not be canceled except as provided in this section, section 111.44 of the Revised Code, division (Q) of section 3501.05 of the Revised Code, division (C)(2) of section 3503.19 of the Revised Code, or division (C) of section 3503.24 of the Revised Code.
(D) Boards of elections shall send their voter registration information to the secretary of state as required under section 3503.15 of the Revised Code. The secretary of state may prescribe by rule adopted pursuant to section 111.15 of the Revised Code the format in which the boards of elections must send that information to the secretary of state. In the first quarter of each year, the secretary of state shall send the information to the national change of address service described in division (B) of this section and request that service to provide the secretary of state with a list of any voters sent by the secretary of state who have moved within the last twelve months. The secretary of state shall transmit to each appropriate board of elections whatever lists the secretary of state receives from that service. The board shall send a notice to each person on the list transmitted by the secretary of state requesting confirmation of the person's change of address, together with a postage prepaid, preaddressed return envelope containing a form on which the voter may verify or correct the change of address information.
(E) The registration of a registered elector described in division (A)(7) or (B)(2) of this section shall be canceled not later than one hundred twenty days after the date of the second general federal election in which the elector fails to vote or not later than one hundred twenty days after the expiration of the four-year period in which the elector fails to vote or respond to a confirmation notice, whichever is later.
(F)(1) When a registration is canceled pursuant to division (A)(2) or (3) of this section, the applicable board of elections shall send a written notice, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, to the address at which the elector was registered, informing the recipient that the elector's registration has been canceled, of the reason for the cancellation, and that if the cancellation was made in error, the elector may contact the board of elections to correct the error.
(2) If the elector's registration is canceled pursuant to division (A)(2) or (3) of this section in error, it shall be restored and treated as though it were never canceled.
The Legislative Service Commission presents the text of this section as a composite of the section as amended by multiple acts of the General Assembly. This presentation recognizes the principle stated in R.C. 1.52(B) that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation.
Available Versions of this Section
- March 20, 2014 – Senate Bill 200 - 130th General Assembly [ View March 20, 2014 Version ]
- September 13, 2016 – House Bill 359, Senate Bill 63 - 131st General Assembly [ View September 13, 2016 Version ]