When grief meets bureaucracy

NORWALK — A city woman says she was stunned to find an official letter addressed to her late husband, informing him he could no longer vote. Katherine J. Wieczorek said the envelope arrived just two days after the funeral for her husband, Harold J. Freeman. On Oct. 7, she wrote to the Huron County Board of Elections, expressing disbelief and frustration; she also forwarded the newspaper a copy of the letter she sent to the board. "Thank you so much for notifying my deceased husband by mail that he can no longer vote," Wieczorek wrote. "There is nothing like receiving this type of notice, especially since it arrived two days after his funeral. Apparently someone thinks that including a stock 'we are sorry for your loss' covers all manner of insult. It does not." The Reflector asked the Huron County elections board why these letters are sent out. Mailing required by state law County elections board director Cecilia Blevins said the notice is not optional. Ohio law requires county election boards to send a written notice to the address of record when a voter's registration is canceled due to death. "This is a required step dictated by the Ohio Revised Code," Blevins said. She explained that each month, the Ohio Secretary of State's Office provides county boards with a Deceased Ohioans Report, based on state vital records data. "The letter confirms that the match we made from the reports that are sent to the Board of Elections is the correct voter that has passed away," Blevins said. Sometimes, Blevins said, a name or birth date provided in the deceased voters report actually matches someone who is still alive. "We cannot cancel a voter's registration without confirmation," she said. "There have been rare cases when a living voter received the letter. "The process isn't meant to upset anyone; we're simply following the law," Blevins added. Under state rules, the Department of Health sends reports of deceased residents to the Secretary of State, who passes them on to county election boards. Before any voter record can be permanently removed, boards must mail a confirmation letter to the voter's last known address. All 88 Ohio counties use the same standard form — Form 255-C — which explains that the registration has been canceled because of death and provides instructions for correcting mistakes. Call for more sensitivity In her letter to the board, Wieczorek said she was angry that public funds were being used to mail notices to the recently deceased, calling it a "unique way" to harass families in mourning. She also pointed out how ridiculous it would be if the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles sent a letter informing her deceased husband that he could no longer drive, or if the Ohio Supreme Court wrote to inform him he could no longer practice law. Blevins said her office sympathizes, but has no choice in the matter. "We're following the process outlined by the Ohio Revised Code," she said. "We understand it can be difficult, but maintaining accurate voter records is essential."