A collection of bills aimed at stressing voter identification and the prevention of voter fraud may make the way Ohioans cast their ballots in the 2014 senate elections a little different.
The Senate Bills — 238, 205 and 216 — are currently moving through the Statehouse and are likely to be passed in the next couple weeks.
SB 238 would eliminate “golden week,” a week when voters can register and cast their absentee ballot on the same day due to an overlap in voter registration and early voting.
The bill aims to prevent voter fraud by the confusion of votes cast during “golden week,” which aren’t counted until after the polls are closed.
A legislative aide, who spoke to The Post on condition that his or her name would not be used, said the three senate bills are going to be voted on in the next couple weeks and are likely to pass.
“We’re a small county, so we’re able to handle golden week and track the votes,” said Debbie Quivey, director of the Athens County Board of Elections. “What we hear is that if we don’t let people vote golden week, we’re suppressing the vote.”
The bill would shorten the 35-day period to cast absentee ballots to 29, which could lead to some college students neglecting to vote.
“A lot of college students take advantage of that extra five days now,” said Aaron Ockerman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Elections Officials. “But the bill still has advantages.”
SB 205 allows only the Ohio Secretary of State to mail absentee ballots, and requires that a person completely identify themselves on their absentee envelope.
Election officials say the bill will have little effect on Athens.
“Other counties do mass mailings to residents, but we’ve never done that,” Quivey said.
The most controversial of the bills, SB 216 sponsored by Sen. Bill Seitz (R., Cincinnati), would change the information a voter is required to provide when casting a provisional ballot.
A provisional ballot is cast when the voter questions their eligibility to vote in the area, and is popular among Ohio University students. If cast incorrectly, their vote could be thrown away in an effort to reduce the amount of people double-voting.
“We’ve always checked for double voting to make sure a person was in the correct precinct,” said Penny Brooks, deputy director for the Athens County Board of Elections.
The county experienced four counts of voter fraud in November’s general election, and Brooks said students are usually responsible. If SB 216 passes, their votes are more likely to be reconsidered and thrown away.
“Some people think their provisional ballots don’t count,” Quivey said. “They vote twice, and half the time they don’t even know they’re doing it.”
Secretary of State Jon Husted was not available for comment by press time.
@eockerman
eo300813@ohiou.edu
