A judge has rejected a lawsuit brought by voting rights groups that alleged Ohio's process for purging election rolls is illegally removing eligible voters.
The lawsuit was filed in April in federal court in Columbus and contended the state's system removes registered voters based on their failure to vote. It specifically alleged the illegal cancellation of registered voters who are homeless.
Judge George Smith said Wednesday that Ohio's procedures for maintaining voter registration rolls ensure the integrity of the election process.
Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted says the state manages voter rolls according to state and federal law. He says the ruling allows the state to put "another wasteful lawsuit" behind it and focus on the important work of running elections.