Justice Department appeals ruling on faulty Mo. voter lists

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The federal government has appealed a federal judge's ruling that Missouri's chief election officer met her legal obligations in keeping voter registration rolls current.

The U.S. Justice Department sued the state and Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's office in November 2005 for alleged violations of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, which requires "reasonable efforts" to purge ineligible voters from registration lists.

U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey ruled for Carnahan in April. The judge said Missouri's 116 local election authorities, not the state, have the responsibility to remove voters who have died or moved away from their rolls.

Under Missouri law, the secretary of state has no enforcement power over local election authorities, Laughrey noted. The judge found that Carnahan and the state more than fulfilled the "reasonable effort" requirement by providing training and equipment to local election authorities.

The federal department told the court Monday that it was appealing to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Carnahan expressed disappointment that the legal wrangling is not over.

"The judge who heard this case was clear and unequivocal that the Office of Secretary of State had done its job with regard to voter list maintenance, and even went beyond federal requirements to assist the county clerks and election boards with their responsibilities," Carnahan said in a written statement.