Ohio, Iowa Leave Electronic Registration Information Center

(UnitedHeadlines.com) – Ohio and Iowa are the latest states to leave the Electronic Registration Information Center, a nonprofit group. 

Earlier in March Florida, Missouri and West Virginia left the group. Louisiana and Alabama left the Electronic Registration Information Center in 2022. 

According to Frank LaRose, the Ohio Secretary of State, Ohio chose to leave March 17 after a proposal which would have reduced political partisanship and improved the security of data.

Iowa also chose to leave March 17 after a vote by the Electronic Registration Information Center board which Paul Pate, Iowa Secretary of State, says leaves member states without the ability to do what is best for their state.

Jay Ashcroft, Missouri Secretary of State, stated his state left over concerns with a requirement that states send out notices to encourage voter registration but vote history data, which is used to catch potential voter fraud, is only optional.

One of the founders of the Electronic Registration Information Center, David Becker, resigned his position on the board after the board met March 17.

The  Electronic Registration Information Center was originally founded by 7 states in 2012. Its purpose was to help keep voter rolls up to date and help cut down on voter fraud. It allows for records to be checked across states such as department of motor vehicle records, helping to identify potential voter fraud.

Ohio and Iowa’s departure from the nonprofit group, Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, marks the fourth and fifth state to resign from the organization this month. In all, seven states have withdrawn from the organization in the last year. Texas has a bill pending to be removed from the Electronic Registration Information Center. Alaska’s elections director has also made statements saying they are considering leaving.

Democrat members of the Electronic Registration Information Center are reaching out to other Republican states, urging them not to leave. Georgia, South Carolina and Utah all stated they would remain in the Electronic Registration Information Center.

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