1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to you today as an Ohioan to urge you to vote NO on the substitute version of HB 472. Until recently, HB 472 was a commendable, bipartisan bill designed to waive identification fees for Ohioans experiencing homelessness—a practical solution to a real problem. Instead, that good work has been gutted and replaced with a 121-page overhaul of our election laws, dropped with virtually no time for public review. This "gut and amend" tactic is deceptive and undermines public trust in the legislative process. Beyond the appalling way this substitute bill was introduced, the absolute worst thing about this legislation is that it will intentionally disenfranchise thousands of eligible Ohio voters. Under the guise of security, its provisions create unnecessary government bureaucracy and massive tech vulnerabilities - Disenfranchises Legal Voters: By placing massive digital hurdles in front of seniors, voters with disabilities, and military personnel overseas, this bill makes mail-in voting virtually impossible for the Ohioans who rely on it most. - Infringes on Privacy & Freedom: By mandating a complex new "live capture" electronic portal for absentee ballots, the state is forcing citizens to upload facial photos and videos to a state database with zero written safeguards for data privacy, retention, or security. - An Unfunded Mandate on Local Taxpayers: This bill forces our local, county Boards of Elections to implement unproven, highly complex verification systems with no state funding and no clear plan for how to secure them against cyber threats. These sweeping restrictions are being pushed to solve a problem that does not exist. Independent and conservative organizations alike—including the Heritage Foundation—have shown that voter fraud is vanishingly rare. Using the myth of widespread fraud to justify heavy-handed government overreach, massive local spending, potential data privacy violations and disenfranchising voters is unacceptable. Our elections are already secure. I expect my representatives to focus on solving real issues, not inventing problems that burden local governments and disenfranchise legal citizens. Please stand up for legislative transparency, fiscal responsibility, and Ohio voters. Vote NO on the substitute for HB 472.