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Keep the voter rolls clean

Claims of “voter suppression” have sunk to new, ridiculous lows in many parts of the United States. Good for Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, soon to be lieutenant governor as a result of the Nov. 6 election, for refusing to be cowed by them.

Like conscientious chief election officers in many states, Husted thinks Ohio’s voter registration rolls should be cleaned up. One reasonable step would be removing names of those who have not cast ballots for six years or more.

But when Husted, a Republican, decided to do that, liberals cried “voter suppression.” A lawsuit was filed to block him.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Husted’s favor. There is nothing wrong with his plan, decided the justices.

Husted decided to postpone implementation of the program until after the Nov. 6 election — no doubt to avoid still more claims he was engaged in some sort of nefarious plot.

With the election over, Husted has resumed the process of cleaning up Ohio’s voter registration rolls.

It may not be possible to complete the project until a new secretary of state (Frank LaRose, elected Nov. 6) takes office.

LaRose should keep up the good work. Keeping voter registration rolls packed with people who do not exercise their franchise, who no longer live where they were once — or who have been dead for years — serves no one. Changing that is not “voter suppression,” it is common sense.

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