Confirmation

Ohio's Secretary of State's office has listed 208,856 voter registrations as scheduled for cancellation on Jan. 27, 2027, but officials say the number isn't final. Being marked inactive doesn't mean a registration has been removed or that the voter is ineligible; those in confirmation status remain qualified electors who can vote and appear in pollbooks. No registrations in the current process will be canceled before the Nov. 3 election.

The list stems from Ohio's routine voter-list maintenance, using the National Change of Address process and a Supplemental Process that flags registrations with no voter activity for two years, triggering confirmation notices. Registrants can avoid cancellation by voting, updating their address, submitting an absentee application or other qualifying activity. Past cycles show published totals often shrink: a 2022 cycle started with 139,770 flagged registrations but ended with 124,158 canceled, while a 2024 cycle dropped from 158,857 to 154,995. County boards must still resolve duplicates and pending transactions, and get state authorization, before any cancellations occur on Jan. 27.

Maricopa County, Arizona, is tracking toward a sharp rise in heat-related deaths in 2026, threatening to reverse a drop achieved the previous year. As of the latest count, 230 deaths have been confirmed as heat-related with another 567 under investigation, compared to 136 confirmed and 382 pending at the same point last year, which ultimately totaled 430 deaths. If this year's cases confirm at a similar rate, the county could see roughly 636 heat deaths, second only to 2023's record of 645.

The increase comes despite expanded cooling centers and other mitigation resources that health officials credited for reducing deaths by 178 last year, leaving officials puzzled. Unhoused residents, who make up nearly half of heat deaths historically, remain especially vulnerable amid a homelessness population nearing 10,000, landlord-friendly eviction laws, and the lingering effects of a 2023 encampment clearance that dispersed unhoused people across the region. Rising temperatures arriving earlier in the year, including a record-early 100-degree day in March, are also extending the danger period.

Harris County, Texas election officials are urging residents to verify whether their voter registration has landed on the "suspense list" before the October 5 registration deadline. The county's voter registrar, Annette Ramirez, said roughly 300,000 voters in Harris County are currently on the list.

Officials stressed that being on the suspense list does not mean someone is no longer registered — it typically means the county needs the voter to confirm or update their address. Voters can end up on the list if a mailed registration certificate is returned as undeliverable, following certain jury summons issues, or after failing to respond to an address confirmation notice. Those on the list can still vote by completing a statement of residence at the polls if they haven't updated their registration beforehand. Residents can check their status at votetexas.gov.