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Democratic proposals improve election bill, but House-passed legislation still misses opportunities

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005                                                              

CONTACT: John Kohlstrand - (614) 466-9036

Democratic proposals improve election bill, but House-passed legislation still misses opportunities

Legislation passed Tuesday response to the controversial 2004 Ohio election contains several missed opportunities. But it also contains a few improvements pushed by Democrats said Ohio House Democratic Whip Steve Driehaus, who added that it could have been worse.

“As Democrats, we believe every vote should be counted. We believe the act of voting should be as hassle-free as possible,” said Driehaus, D-Cincinnati. “This bill contains some improvements along those lines – but it also misses some opportunities.”

H.B. 3, which passed the House 70-27 Tuesday, contains a number of Democratic ideas for make voting easier – notably, Representative Edna Brown’s 2003 proposal to allow Ohioans to vote absentee without offering a reason.

Under current law, voters under age 62 must offer a reason for requesting an absentee ballot, (such as plans to travel outside their home county on Election Day). Brown’s proposal, incorporated into H.B. 3, eliminates that requirement.

“Allowing all Ohioans to vote absentee will make voting easier. This is an important reform and an important step forward,” Driehaus said.

But Democrats said the bill fall short in other ways. For instance, it would do little to prevent a repeat of the long lines that plagued Ohio during the 2004 election. Also, Democrats remain very concerned about language in H.B. 3 that would codify Secretary of State Ken Blackwell order last fall that negated all provisional ballots not cast in the correct precinct.

The clear intent of the federal Help America Vote Act was to allow provisional ballots to count if cast in the correct city or county, Driehaus said. He proposed amendments Tuesday that would have allowed provisional ballots to count if cast in the correct county or polling location. Both were tabled by majority Republicans.

“Thousands of votes were rejected last year because of Ken Blackwell’s needlessly restrictive order,” Driehaus said. “Ohio can do better.”

Still, Democrats said they are pleased to see the bill does not require even more impositions on voters – such as requiring citizens to show a photo ID before voting. A Republican proposal to impose this requirement was tabled Tuesday.

“This is a solution in search of a problem,” House Democratic Leader Chris Redfern said. Photo IDs cost money; requiring them would have been the equivalent to a poll tax, Redfern said.

Another Republican proposal – to shorten the length of time that polling places are open on Election Day – was also rejected Tuesday.

Other Democratic amendments tabled by majority Republicans without an up-or-down vote included:

n       A proposal from Representative Lorraine Fende, D-Willowick, to replace the partisan Secretary of State’s office with a bipartisan state board of elections.

n       A proposal from Driehaus to prohibit the Secretary of State, who is charged with overseeing Ohio’s elections, from engaging in outside partisan political activity. Blackwell was co-chairman of President Bush’s re-election campaign in Ohio.

n       A proposal from Representative Dan Stewart, D-Columbus, to protect the right of the homeless to vote by clarifying which addresses would be acceptable on a voter registration card.

“Many Democrats have real misgivings about this legislation,” Redfern said. “But I’m pleased to see some of our ideas are included in this bill. As we saw today, it could have been worse.”

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