Brunner Heralds Introduction Of Elections Enhancement Bill

For Immediate Release

BRUNNER HERALDS INTRODUCTION OF ELECTIONS ENHANCEMENT BILL

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner commended Tuesday the introduction of HB 260, the elections enhancements bill.

Sponsored by state Rep. Dan Stewart of Columbus, the chair of the House Elections & Ethics Committee and state Rep. Tracy Maxwell Heard of Columbus, Secretary Brunner believes the measure is a cost-effective, bipartisan blueprint for enhancing elections.

After the successful November 2008 presidential election, Secretary Brunner set out to work in a bipartisan fashion to enhance the elections system to the benefit of voters and elections officials alike.

“I believe this bill implements the common-sense, cost-effective, bipartisan elections enhancements we’ve promised to make in Ohio,” Brunner said.

“I thank Rep. Stewart for his leadership on these issues.  We hope the Ohio General Assembly will consider and enact these proposed changes,” Brunner said.

The comprehensive bill, which is based in large part on efforts sponsored by Brunner such as the Elections Summit of December 2008 and the Elections Conference of March 2009, includes:

1. Cost saving measures for boards of elections.  Move special elections to primary or general election days, saving taxpayers an estimated $2.7-5.4 million per year.  Allow the use of vote-by-mail for vacancy in office special elections.  Decrease the administrative burden on boards of elections by creating an annual vote-by-mail ballot request form.  Limit state issue ballot language length, create buying pools for elections materials, and implement a voting centers pilot project. 
2. Enhancements for the Statewide Voter Registration Database.  Finalize a new voter registration matching process with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the federal Social Security Administration. Provide counties with access to relevant nonmatches, with statewide rules for processing relevant nonmatches.  Specify that a nonmatch could not, on its own, be the basis for disenfranchising a voter. 
3. Streamline Ohio’s voter identification laws.  Bring Ohio into line with other states by focusing voter ID on verification of identity, not address. 
4. Expand the number of in-person early voting locations and align Ohio’s in-person early voting period with other states.  Decrease the period for in-person early voting to 20 days before a general election, while increasing the number of locations allowed from one to four.  End early voting at 5:00 p.m. the Saturday before Election Day.
5. Reform provisional balloting.  Limit the reasons voters are required to vote a provisional ballot and increase the instances where that ballot is counted.  Modify the wrong precinct rule by allowing any ballot cast anywhere in a county to be remade and counted if cast by an eligible voter. 

The bill will be assigned to a standing House committee for further review. The full text of the bill can be read here (PDF).  The Legislative Service Commission's analysis of the legislation can be read here (PDF).

For an outline of the legislation, click here (PDF). 

For a review of editorial comments about Secretary Brunner's elections enhancement initiatives, click here (PDF).

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Jeff Ortega, Assistant Director of Communications, Media (614) 466-0473
Kevin Kidder, Media Relations Coordinator (614) 995-2168