There is nothing more fundamental in a democracy than the right to vote. Of all governmental functions, the ability to carry out fair and open elections should be paramount. Unfortunately, the Republican controlled Senate just passed legislation that will make it more difficult for Ohioans to vote.
The legislation, known as House Bill 194, drastically cuts early voting from 35 to just ten days. HB 194 also prohibits early voting on Sundays and limits weekend voting to just one Saturday. This will hurt hard working Ohioans who need the flexibility to vote around their work schedules.
Just as troubling is a provision in the legislation that drops the requirement for poll workers to assist voters in finding the correct precinct and another that throws out ballots even where the voter’s choice is abundantly clear.
The timeframe for mail-in absentee voting has also been shortened. All these changes will lead to unnecessary confusion when Ohioans next go to the polls, especially when you consider we overhauled our voting procedures just five years ago.
The General Assembly should focus its efforts on encouraging more Ohioans to participate in our democracy by making it easier to vote. HB 194 is a giant step backward.
