1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to strongly urge you to veto House Bill 472. While the original intent to assist homeless Ohioans in obtaining identification was noble, the substitute version passed by the General Assembly introduces restrictive photo ID mandates for absentee voting that will severely disenfranchise vulnerable populations, particularly seniors and low-income residents. Requiring voters to mail photocopies of IDs or navigate a complex new online portal with facial recognition technology creates insurmountable barriers for those who need mail-in voting the most. Many seniors lack the necessary scanners, high-speed internet, or digital literacy to use the proposed online system, while others cannot afford the costs associated with obtaining or copying strict photo identification. As election officials and civil rights groups like the ACLU of Ohio have warned, this bill risks suppressing legitimate votes under the guise of security. It introduces significant privacy risks without solving any proven problem with our current absentee voting system. Ohio should be expanding access to the ballot, not erecting new walls around it. Please protect the right to vote for all Ohioans by vetoing this harmful legislation.