Voting rights advocates have flagged identical Ohio House and Senate bills that would make another host of changes to state election laws, just over two years after one major conservative-led law went into effect.
House Bill 233 and Senate Bill 153 would require Ohioans to provide some form of proof, like a driver’s license or a state identification card, that they are citizens when they register to vote or modify their voter registration. At the polls, HB 233 and SB 153 say election officials could challenge a voter’s citizen status and require them to present that proof or cast a provisional ballot.
They also would prohibit county boards of elections from collecting absentee ballots through unattended drop boxes. Those often metal drop boxes, which became common statewide during the Covid-19 pandemic, have been targeted by conservative critics.
Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, said Monday those aren’t her only issues with HB 233 and SB 153. Turcer is worried about extensive changes to the petitions process for ballot issues, which she believes could mean challenges for circulators.
“It is a sneaky attack with a thousand cuts, but it’s just as harmful,” Turcer said.
Among them, Turcer said that a single petition signature error could invalidate an entire petition booklet under the bills, which also require hired circulators to wear badges.
The proponents behind HB 233 and SB 135 say the measures are needed to secure Ohio elections further, even though voter fraud is rare and noncitizens can’t vote legally. Harrison Siders, who testified for the Florida conservative think tank Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), said he believes the bills would bring “practical, achievable safeguards that will fortify our election system against fraud.”
“Protecting election integrity should not be a partisan issue,” Siders said in committee testimony.
The GOP-led efforts have drawn little backing so far. The FGA has been the only proponent to testify, alongside more than 70 opponents.
