Proposal for overhaul of voting laws nearing release

A significant rewrite of Ohio’s election laws is under way that could reduce early voting days and prohibit ballot drop boxes while also adding conveniences like online mail-in ballot requests, the bill’s sponsor said this week.

State Rep. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, said the bill he’s been working on for months is not a suppressive overhaul of voting protocols, as has caught attention in Georgia and other states, but a careful effort to incorporate changes sought by both Democrats and Republicans.

“It’s pretty impressive,” Seitz told The Associated Press. “It takes a great number of steps forward in terms of voter access and improving the administration of our election laws.”

Seitz declined to provide details of the proposal, which he said has not been finalized but is “very, very close” to release. He said he has been working closely with Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the state’s elections chief, and bipartisan local election officials on the bill.

The sweeping overhaul comes after state officials touted the 2020 election as running smoothly despite many possible problems connected to the pandemic. LaRose’s office reported records were set for turnout, total votes cast and the percentage of requested absentee ballots that were returned. He also reported Ohio slashed the percentage of absentee mail-in ballots disqualified for voter error to less than half a percent, despite a surge in first-time voters.

Seitz said of the timing, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance and there’s always room for improvement.”

An early draft of the legislation obtained by the AP called for a host of new voter restrictions, including: requiring two forms of ID to vote early or by mail; banning the ballot drop boxes allowed and popularized during the coronavirus pandemic; eliminating a day of early voting the Monday before the election; and prohibiting the state from paying ballot postage.