Soldiers among those challenged in Ohio

As reported earlier, Republicans in Ohio have decided to challenge the validity of 35,000 newly registered voters. The state GOP had sent letters to all of this year's newly registered voters and challenged anyone who had the letter returned. How are the challenges going so far? Glad you asked:

An initial review of 50 challenge forms filed by GOP activists shows 40 with an incorrect ward or precinct listed for the voter, said Michael Hackett, deputy director of the Franklin County Board of Elections. He said such mistakes will nullify requests to have people removed from the list of eligible voters.

(snip)

In Franklin County, beyond the challenges with incorrect information, it appears Republicans included some legitimately registered voters, including members of the military.

Lisa Potts, a longtime Marine currently stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., is registered to vote from her mother’s address in Westerville. She already has received her absentee ballot.

She said she was surprised yesterday to hear her eligibility to vote had been challenged, "especially since I’m a Republican" and also because service members often keep a "house of record" in their hometowns.

"I pay taxes to the state of Ohio every year," said Potts, 42, a 1980 graduate of Westerville South High School who has been a Marine for 24 years.

Nice of Republicans to challenge the rights of those they sent overseas to fight for them, no?
*UPDATE* Even more good news for Democracy in Ohio:

State Republicans withdrew thousands of more than 35,000 challenges to new voter registrations because of errors in their filings apparently caused by a computer glitch.

Republicans filed the challenges Friday in 65 of Ohio's 88 counties, saying mail sent to the newly registered voters was returned as undeliverable.

Over the weekend, the party withdrew about 4,700 challenges in Hamilton County because the names and addresses on the GOP list didn't match voter rolls, and about two-thirds, or 2,800, of the 4,200 challenges in Franklin County, officials said.