COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ Republicans passed an unconstitutional law when they allowed Ohio counties to cancel a voter's registration solely because some election notices mailed to a home address come back undeliverable, the state Democratic elections chief said Friday.



Voters must be given a chance to respond ahead of the Nov. 4 election to avoid potentially disenfranchising them, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said in a directive issued to county boards of elections. The problem could be as simple as a typo on the home address or a mail delivery error, she said.



Voting rights groups have argued that the tactic of challenging voters based on returned mail singles out the homeless, who may not have a mailing address — or change addresses frequently — and others living away from home, such as soldiers and college students.



Brunner said her directive challenges a law passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2006 that gives counties