Warren-Clinton News

Last year, the Ohio State Legislature filed but did not advance legislation that sought to reform the administration of elections in Ohio, leaving an issue that is still stirring controversy.  

Warren-Clinton News recently reached out to Rep. Scott Lipps (R- Franklin) for his opinion on proposed Election Integrity Reform legislation. First elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2016, Lipps represents the 62nd Legislative District of Ohio. 

"Last year, Rep. (Bill) Seitz and Rep. (Sharon) Ray joint-sponsored a bill (House Bill No. 294) that was known as the Election Security and Modernization Act," Lipps said. "HB 294 got a significant amount of attention and progressed relatively far in the legislative process. We have to write, consider and pass voting legislation with a preventative outlook."

A bill analysis for the previously filed Election Security and Modernization Act (HB 294) said the legislation would make several changes and reforms to the state’s election laws. The bill sought to automate the voter registration and verification system through the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles as well as modify the process for voter roll maintenance in addition to several other changes and clarifications related to voter identification, curbside voting, absentee voting and election administration. The bill failed to advance out of committee.

"I think it is incredibly important that the General Assembly enact legislation that keeps our voting secure, consistent and verifiable," Lipps said. "We have not been able to come to a clear consensus as to what that legislation looks like in Ohio. This continues to be an issue we look at each day (especially with an election fast-approaching). I do believe that HB 294 or similar legislation would be instrumental in clarifying the otherwise ambiguous election laws that currently exist.

"We are still able to take up debate and discussion on HB 294 as we are still currently in the 134th General Assembly (the Legislature runs on two-year cycles)," Lipps said. "I do believe that we need to focus more efforts on election fraud, ballot harvesting and illegal voting. Voting is a sacred practice granted to us by our forefathers that must be protected at all costs. Violations of voting and elections laws should not be tolerated under any means by the state."

Election Transparency Initiative Chairman Ken Cuccinelli previously told Buckeye Reporter that the Ohio State Legislature needs to pass election reforms in 2022, including a ban on ballot drop boxes and the practice of mass-mailing absentee ballot applications to voters who didn’t request them. 

“That the Ohio Legislature and its governor were unable to come together in 2021 to pass many of the reforms badly needed to ensure secure, transparent and accountable Ohio elections wasn’t just disappointing — and downright unacceptable — but it was a profound disservice to so many other states who leaned bravely into the head winds of resistance determined to thwart election integrity," Cuccinelli said. "Without delay, we urge the House and Senate to act on legislation to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat in Ohio elections."

HB 387 sought to add a picture ID requirement for voting along with reforms to the absentee vote-by-mail process. This bill also failed to advance from the House Government Oversight Committee.

According to the Ohio secretary of state, Ohio state law allows any absentee ballot postmarked no later than the day before the election to be received up to 10 days after Election Day. This is a practice the Election Transparency Initiative (ETI) seeks to limit to only late-arriving ballots from military members and overseas citizens from Ohio.

In 2020 nonprofit groups supporting President Joe Biden tried to expand ballot drop box access in key Democrat strongholds, including Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, Dayton and Toledo, NBC News said. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose opposed the move on the grounds that the boxes would not be secure.

Ohio state law also still allows mass-mailing of absentee ballot applications by political groups, while states including Florida, Kentucky and Iowa have banned the practice. In 2020, a group calling itself the Center for Voter Information mailed filled-out absentee ballot applications to thousands of Ohioans who did not request them, according to a report by WSYX-TV (ABC). 

One Columbus voter said "her roommate received two separate ballot applications, both addressed to his son, who has not lived in the home for seven years."