EC Ohio News

EC Ohio News recently reached out to Ohio Rep. Don Jones for his opinion on proposed election integrity reform legislation.

Last year, the Ohio legislature filed, but did not advance, pieces of legislation focused on election reforms to the administration of elections in Ohio. Jones represents the 95th Legislative District of Ohio. He was first elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2019. Jones did not respond to a request for comment on the proposed legislation.

Election Transparency Initiative (ETI) Chairman Ken Cuccinelli previously told the Buckeye Reporter in an interview that the Ohio Legislature needs to pass election reforms in 2022, including a ban on ballot drop boxes and the practice of mass-mailing absentee ballot applications to voters who didn't request them.

"That the Ohio legislature and its governor were unable to come together in 2021 to pass many of the reforms badly needed to ensure secure, transparent, and accountable Ohio elections wasn't just disappointing—and downright unacceptable—but it was a profound disservice to so many other states who leaned bravely into the head winds of resistance determined to thwart election integrity," Cuccinelli told the Buckeye Reporter. "Without delay, we urge the House and Senate to act on legislation to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat in Ohio elections."

A bill analysis for the previously filed Election Security and Modernization Act said that the legislation would make several changes and reforms to the state's election laws. The bill sought to automate the voter registration and verification system through the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles as well as modify the process for voter roll maintenance in addition to several other changes and clarifications related to voter identification, curbside voting, absentee voting and election administration. The bill failed to advance out of committee.

Another bill, HB 387, sought to add a picture ID requirement for voting as well as reform the absentee vote-by-mail process. This bill also failed to advance from the state House Government Oversight Committee.

Ohio state law allows any absentee ballot postmarked no later than the day before the election to be received up to 10 days after Election Day, the Ohio Secretary of State said on its site.

The ETI disagrees with this practice and said that late ballots should only be permitted from overseas citizens and members of the military, the Buckeye Reporter reported.

Nonprofit groups supporting President Joe Biden in 2020 tried to expand ballot drop box access to key Democrat strongholds including Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, Dayton and Toledo, NBC News reported. Their move was opposed by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who said the boxes would not be secure.

Although states such as Iowa, Florida and Kentucky have banned political groups from mass-mailing absentee ballot applications, Ohio still permits it, the Buckeye Reporter reported.

A group named Center for Voter Information filled out absentee ballot applications and mailed them to several Ohio residents who had not asked for them, ABC 6 Columbus reported.

One Columbus voter told ABC 6 Columbus, "Her roommate received two separate ballot applications, both addressed to his son, who has not lived in the home for seven years."