A bill overhauling Ohio election law cleared the Senate today over Democratic objections, and Senate leaders said they did not expect major problems meshing their plan with one passed last week by the House.
Voters would get less time to vote early, online voter registration would be developed and a handful of counties, including Franklin, no longer could send absentee ballot applications to all voters. Senate Bill 148 passed 23-10 along party lines.
“A number of things incorporated in this bill are trying to improve consistency and make sure we have one system of elections around Ohio,” said Sen. Keith Faber, R-Celina. “At the end of the day, this process improves the way we vote.”
Sen. Shirley A. Smith, D-Cleveland, said there are good things in the bill, such as allowing for bulk purchasing and curbside voting for those who cannot get inside the polling place. But as a whole, she called it a “pummeling blow to the barriers we’ve overcome and the progress we’ve made as a society.”
Full Article: Senate passes ballot reforms | The Columbus Dispatch.