Ohioans can register to vote online starting Jan. 1, an effort that could save the state millions of dollars, according to Secretary of State Jon Husted. Currently 31 states and Washington, D.C., allow voters to register online. “Raise a glass of champagne, offer a toast, get online and register to vote,” Husted said in a statement Tuesday. Gov. John Kasich signed Senate Bill 63, allowing online registration, back in June, but it is just now taking effect in time for the upcoming local elections in 2017. The decision was made not to have the law take effect before the 2016 presidential election. “The world is moving online,” state Sen. Bill Beagle, R-Tipp City, said on Tuesday. “More and more people look to do as much of their business online as they can because it’s convenient.”
State Sen. Frank LaRose, R-Copley Twp., was the sponsor of the bill and worked on it for several years.
The information submitted online for voter registration will be checked against records with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. To register to vote online will require a driver’s license or a state-issued ID card. Ohioans who don’t have one of those IDs, will have to register to vote on paper.
Some Democrats fought the bill because of the ID requirement. Around 300,000 Ohioans are believed to not have state-issued ID cards.
Full Article: Ohio to add online voter registration.