Ohioans who vote absentee by mail may need to ensure they allow plenty of time for those ballots to arrive on or before Election Day. Republican state lawmakers have approved a bill that wipes out extra time for ballots to arrive after Election Day, except for military and overseas voters.
Rep. Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth) said Senate Bill 293 was needed ahead of the next year's midterms.
“This bill will help protect and improve the election process in the state of Ohio," Ray said on the House floor. “It also assures that Ohio is abiding by federal election law and President Trump’s executive order.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost received a letter from the Department of Justice in September, warning that Ohio could face a federal lawsuit following an executive order Trump issued in March stating that there is "a uniform and nondiscriminatory ballot receipt deadline of Election Day for all methods of voting", with ballots from military and overseas voters exempted.
Democrats have said thousands of ballots could be tossed out from voters who mailed them on time but they didn't arrive. Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) said voters who could be disenfranchised weren't given time to weigh in.
“This process has been rushed," Brent said.
Brent proposed creating a permanent absentee voter list for those who always vote that way but that was rejected. Other Democrats also spoke out against the bill, including Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington), who is running for secretary of state against fellow Democrat and Cincinnati doctor Bryan Hambley. Russo said getting rid of the grace period for absentee voting has nothing to do with voter fraud.
"To be clear, eliminating voter fraud is a goal that we all share. No one wants voter fraud. It is not acceptable. But we must have a balanced approach to how we address this issue which according to our own secretary of state is exceedingly rare," Russo said.
Rep. Ashley Bryant Bailey (D-Cincinnati) also proposed an amendment that would require a voter is notified 60 to 90 days before an election if the state flags their voter registration. She said she was blindsided when a clerical mistake was made when she changed her name due to marriage. Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.) said her amendment didn't address the situation she faced but would make it easier for illegal immigrants to vote instead. Her amendment failed.
The bill also made some changes in voter roll maintenance, provisional voting, and made some modifications in the membership of the Ohio Election Integrity Commission, which is already established within the secretary of state's office.
The Republican-backed bill passed along party lines in the House. Because there were changes, it went back to the Senate for approval. Sen. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) said there are plenty of early voting opportunities, so the grace period isn't needed.
"It's so easy to vote by mail. It's so easy to literally vote for a month before," Johnson said. "I can personally guarantee you no one on this side of the aisle is trying to suppress the vote."
But Sen. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) disagreed, saying it's easy for mistakes to be made and for voters to be disenfranchised if mistakes are made and there isn't time to correct them.
"There are at least four Kent Smiths who live in Cuyahoga County. One of them I know has passed away. Do you see what the potential problem could be?" Smith asked.
The Senate also approved the bill along party lines. It now goes to Gov. Mike DeWine, who has said that he doesn’t see the need to sign any more voting restrictions.
