1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

As an active and engaged voter I urge you to OPPOSE Senate Bill 153 and HB 233 and protect Ohio voters. Ohio’s elections are safe and accurate, but. SB 153 and HB 233 are massive overhauls of our elections, that won’t increase security or accuracy. Our Boards of Elections are already overworked and under resourced, and the litany of unfunded mandates in the bill will only make their jobs harder and more expensive. Instead of working to address issues and oversights from the last time we overhauled our elections, passing SB 153 or HB 233 will create new problems for voters and administrators. Requiring proof of citizenship will disenfranchise eligible voters who lack certain documentation, and our provisional ballot rates will skyrocket due to clerical errors and inconsequential discrepancies in back-end data. Additionally, enacting cumbersome barriers for citizen-led ballot initiatives would potentially put signature collectors at risk of harm and hinder the already meticulous work of campaigns. Ohioans want increased access to the ballot box and accessible voting options – not cumbersome legislation seeking to fix nonexistent issues. Ohio lawmakers must prioritize a strong, inclusive democracy and ensure every eligible citizen can vote without unnecessary hurdles. I strongly urge you to stop these threats to our democratic processes by REJECTING SB 153 and HB 233.