Opinion: Ohio should emulate Ky.'s pro-voter election reforms
Election integrity is dominating American political debates, but it can sometimes seem impossible to cut through the fiery rhetoric from Republicans and Democrats.
One approach is to seek common-sense election reforms that aren’t pro-Democrat or pro-Republican, but pro-voter. That means not hassling lawful voters with unnecessary paperwork or bureaucracy, yet still guaranteeing their votes will be counted accurately. Earlier this year, Kentucky passed a pro-voter reform bill that is receiving national acclaim for its content and near-unanimous bipartisan support. Ohio has a chance to do the same with its Ohio Election Security and Modernization Act (House Bill 294), currently being considered by the Ohio House of Representatives.
I was part of the team that developed and helped pass Kentucky’s elections bill, which both tightened security and expanded voter access. Many of its key features are included in the proposed Ohio bill.
Authorizing an online portal for requesting absentee ballots is the most obvious example. Currently, Ohioans who want an absentee ballot must request one by filling out a paper form and mailing it to a county board of elections office. In Kentucky, voters can now make these requests online. Requesting a ballot online is easier and the best way to make sure ballots are completed and returned on time.
It also saves taxpayer dollars and, most importantly, increases transparency and security. In addition, election administrators can use the system to flag a suspicious number of ballot requests coming from a single IP address, allowing them to investigate. That can’t happen with paper forms currently used in Ohio.
Another popular reform already enacted by other states and poised for passage in Ohio is automated voter verification and registration, a process that updates the accuracy of voter records in real time. Ohio’s current paper-based voter registration system allows for human error and complicates ballot access when voters move to a new address and forget to update their registration. An electronic system would allow Ohioans to take care of this when they apply for or update a driver’s license. They can always choose to opt out if they wish. It’s convenient for voters, keeps voter rolls current, saves taxpayer dollars and reduces the chances for human paperwork error.
Accurate voter rolls mean fewer people encounter problems with their registrations at the polls, which makes for shorter lines on Election Day. It also helps prevent fraud. If someone were to make a permanent move to another of the 30 states (plus D.C.) that automatically compare voter rolls, their voter registration would be updated as soon as they officially file their new address with a motor vehicle office or other designated public agency.
These are just a handful of reforms that Kentucky passed in a bipartisan fashion that are included in the Ohio Election Security and Modernization Act. If passed, this bill will increase voter access and improve election integrity, while saving taxpayers money. It’s not a partisan power-grab. It’s pragmatic, practical, and pro-voter.
Trey Grayson is the former Secretary of State of Kentucky, former chairman of the Republican Association of Secretaries of State, and co-chair of the Advisory Board of the Secure Elections Project.
