COLUMBUS – Today, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed HB 458, legislation to strengthen Ohio’s elections by, among other actions, requiring stricter photo ID for voting.
Upon today’s bill signing, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued the following statement:
“Ohioans are clearly supportive of strict photo ID for voting and we have found a common-sense way to make it happen that ensures voters are not disenfranchised,” said Secretary LaRose. “No piece of legislation is a silver-bullet solution, but we are once again showing Ohioans that we take their concerns seriously and are dedicated to continuously improving our elections.”
In addition to strengthening photo ID requirements, the bill makes a number of long-sought election modernization improvements, including:
- Eliminating early voting on the Monday before Election Day to allow our county boards of elections adequate time to prepare for Tuesday elections. The bill provides discretion to the Secretary of State to reallocate those six hours of early in-person absent voting previously available by adding hours on Monday through Friday of the preceding week;
- Eliminating August special elections – a costly, low-turnout, and unnecessary election for our county boards to administer – unless it involves a political subdivision or school district that is in a state of fiscal emergency;
- Shortening the deadline to apply to cast absent voters’ ballots by mail from noon on the third day before Election Day to the close of business on the seventh day before Election Day to ensure adequate time for applications to be processed and that voters do not unintentionally disenfranchise themselves by procrastinating too close to Election Day.
Read more about the additional provisions within HB 458 here.
