To the editor:
Dear Governor DeWine,
As voters in Athens County, we call on you to veto Senate Bill 293. This bill was rushed through the General Assembly without adequate time for Ohio voters or Boards of Election to review the language and provide public comment.
There are many harmful provisions in SB 293. Some of these will surely increase the number of provisional ballots that are submitted. The bill unnecessarily requires absentee ballots to be received on election day. Further, election officials would be required to challenge voters with non-citizen IDs, even if they’ve been naturalized and documented as to their citizenship status.
As voters in Athens County, we are most concerned with the requirement that absentee ballots be received by election day. Athens County is home to Ohio University and Hocking College, making much of our voting age population out-of-county residents. If students wish to cast their vote in their home districts, they must ensure their ballot is placed in the mail up to a week before election day and even then, uncertainty may remain due to USPS budget cuts and layoffs. With the number of ballot drop boxes already being limited to one per county, voters depend on the four-day grace period for their ballots to be received and counted.
Another way SB 293 will negatively impact voters in Athens County is by requiring voters with mismatched data between their voter registration record and what’s on file with the BMV to be put into provisional status. Athens County has a high renter population, many of whom likely do not update their address at the BMV each time they move.
Governor, you have previously stated that House Bill 458, which passed in 2023 and instituted some of the most restrictive ID requirements in the country, was sufficient to assure Ohio’s election security. Please do not lead us down a path that will disenfranchise even more voters. Veto 293!
This bill matters to all of us. Please contact Governor DeWine at: 614-644-4357 (office), 614-644-0929 (Deputy Policy Director), or 614-466-2828 (Legislative Affairs Director).
Very sincerely,
Natalie Johnson, SEO advocacy strategist, ACLU of Ohio
Debbie Schmieding, League of Women Voters of Athens County
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