The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 lets states remove voters who die, move or become ineligible, but sets rules for how. Some states use "use it or lose it" policies that start the removal process when a person skips voting. The Supreme Court upheld Ohio's version in Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute (2018).
Purges have grown. The Brennan Center for Justice found that at least 17 million voters were purged nationwide between 2016 and 2018. It also found that counties once covered by the Voting Rights Act's preclearance rule purged voters at higher rates than other places after Shelby County v. Holder (2013).
Matching errors are common. Lists built on name matches can flag the wrong person, and names shared within families and communities raise the risk. In Florida in 2000, a flawed felon purge list wrongly flagged eligible voters, and Black voters were overrepresented on it. Purges matter because a voter removed in error may not find out until it is too late to fix.