Today, Project Vote sent a letter to Ohio Governor John Kasich, calling on him to veto SB 205 and SB 238, two recently-passed election bills that will only serve to suppress voting in The Buckeye State. You can read the letter here.
SB 205 would forbid anyone besides Ohio’s secretary of state—including county Boards of Election—from sending out absentee voter applications unless voters specifically request them. In 2012, 1.3 million Ohioans cast absentee ballots, after Secretary of State Jon Husted mailed them to every registered voter. Under SB 205, the secretary of state would need approval from lawmakers to mail absentee ballots, and individual Boards of Election could not do so at all. (The Editorial Board of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer writes, “The real aim is to make Ohioans jump through more hoops in order to obtain an absentee ballot to which they’re entitled.”)
SB 238 would cut a week of Ohio’s early voting period, eliminating the so-called “Golden Week” in which Ohioans have been able to register and cast a ballot on the same day. In 2012, some 59,000 Ohioans voted during Golden Week.
In the letter sent today, Project Vote joins other voting rights groups in asking Gov. Kasich to stand up for Ohio voters and veto these harmful bills. As Project Vote Legislative Director Estelle Rogers writes:
For much of American history, women, minorities, and other traditionally disenfranchised groups have fought for the right to equally participate in American civic life. Senate Bills 205 and 238 are taking Ohio in the wrong direction. But you, Governor Kasich, can stand up for voters and for democracy by vetoing these dangerous bills. We hope we can count on your support and that you will veto both SB 205 and SB 238 when they reach your desk.
The Ohio Voter Rights coalition has also created a petition calling on Kasich to veto the laws. You can find that petition here.