The Post, 9/13

Column from Speaker Batchelder in the Post Newspapers
Preserving Ohio's fair elections

July 16, 2011

The other day I went to the drug store to buy some medicine, and I was asked to show photo identification before making the purchase. It got me thinking about how often it is that we as Americans are asked to show our ID to verify who we are, our age or what we are doing. It also relates closely to some recent legislation that the Ohio House has been working on.

We have the privilege of exercising our right to vote on a fairly regular basis, from voting on a local levy to voting in a presidential election. As citizens with the right to vote, the ability to make changes within our society lies with us, and true power stems from our people.

To preserve this fundamental right, it's necessary that we revise our state's voting laws and keep up with the technology that has made many other aspects of modern-day life so convenient. As elected officials, protecting the integrity of the democratic process is one of our most important duties. In order to avoid fraud and outdated Election Day rules, the Ohio House has considered a number of reforms.

House Bill 159 is the Fair and Secure Elections Act. It asks that voters present a valid photo ID in order to vote on Election Day or in-person absentee. Not only does the initiative help to verify the identity of each voter, but it is also a common-sense way to safeguard the integrity of our elections and promote voter confidence. In fact, a recent Rasmussen poll showed that 75 percent of likely voters approve of using photo identification in order to vote. This legislation passed from the House in March and is currently awaiting a vote by the Senate.

Meanwhile, the legislature has passed a very comprehensive set of election reforms in House Bill 194 to address shortcomings in the way our state operates elections. Our main focus is to increase accountability, reduce costs, and modernize the process. An example of this includes allowing for online voter registration. It also reduces confusion in regard to provisional and absentee voting by forming statewide standards. With these changes, in addition to a top-down voter registration database and a new verification process for the ballots, we will be restoring reliability and transparency to the system.

I believe that we need to have a strong elections system and that Ohioans will feel confident about it. If Ohioans are not comfortable with the sanctity of their vote, then we have a responsibility to improve the process and do all we can to ensure that lawful, honest votes are not diluted by abuse. Through these simple and straightforward changes, we will have a system that truly reflects the importance of an Ohioans' right to vote.

The Ohio House of Representatives today unanimously voted to concur on Senate amendments to House Bill 224, legislation that implements changes to Ohio’s Uniform Military and Overseas Voting law. The legislation will make state law more accurately reflect recommendations by the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

Specifically, the Ohio Senate included amendments to prohibit the use of nine-digit social security numbers for identification purposes in elections and to prohibit online voter registration, in order for these proposals to be more thoroughly researched and vetted.

“It is extremely important that, as lawmakers, we make every effort to safeguard our deployed service members’ ability to vote, as well as keep our elections fair and honest,” said Dovilla, who currently serves as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. “House Bill 224 has received strong bipartisan support throughout the entire legislative process, and I'm particularly pleased that this is my first bill to reach the governor's desk.”

House Bill 224 will:
• permit a uniformed services or overseas voter to apply for an absentee ballot by email or, if offered by the board of elections, through Internet delivery;
• require boards of elections to accept and process federal write-in absentee ballots for all elections for federal, state or local office and for all ballot questions and issues;
• establish an emergency process for uniformed services and overseas voters to cast a ballot if an international, national, state or local emergency arises that makes substantial compliance with the federal absent voting law impossible or impracticable; and
• permit a uniformed services or overseas voter to use the declaration accompanying a federal write-in absentee ballot to apply to register to vote simultaneously with the submission of the federal write-in absentee ballot.

Having passed both chambers of the General Assembly, H.B. 224 will now be sent to Governor Kasich for his signature.

Rep. John Adams: Stop the partisanship, hesitation on photo ID legislation
Voter Identification Requirement Has Bipartisan Support Nationwide

House Majority Whip John Adams (R-Sidney) applauded the State of Rhode Island’s strong bipartisan support of a bill to require voters to show photo identification at the polls.

On Wednesday, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee—an Independent—signed into law a voter ID bill that received strong support in the Democrat-controlled state legislature, as well as from “representatives of the state’s minority communities.”

In response to Rhode Island’s bipartisan cooperation in considering and passing this bill, Rep. Adams released the following statement:

Lawmakers from Rhode Island have expressed the necessity of a photo ID bill in an effort to reduce voter fraud and improve the Election Day process. “Voting should be at least as secure as renting a car, getting a library card or any of the other tasks that routinely require an ID,” said Rhode Island Democratic Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis, who asserts that the “belief that voter fraud exists undermines the public’s faith in the fairness of our elections.”

“Some people look at this as a Republican or a conservative issue,” Rhode Island Democratic Representative and bill sponsor Jon D. Brien stated. “I look at it as an electoral issue.”

Rhode Island Democratic Senator Harold M. Metts, an African American who sponsored the Senate’s companion legislation, expressed that his African American and Latino constituents asked him to sponsor a voter ID bill out of concern for voter fraud.

“As a minority citizen and a senior citizen, I would not support anything that I thought would present obstacles or limit protections,” he said. “While I’m sensitive to the concerns raised, at this point I am more interested in doing the right thing and stopping voter fraud. Hesitation based on potential ramifications of what may or may not happen at the expense of the integrity of the system is no longer an option.”

Ohio’s House Bill 159 passed from the House in March and is currently awaiting a vote in the Ohio Senate.

ProvidenceJournal_RI Voter-ID Bill Has Support on Both Sides of the Aisle

TPMMuckraker_Chafee Signs Voter ID Law

We often hear and read news reports in which Americans emphasize that they believe the government is doing nothing for them. I've certainly empathized with this viewpoint many times over the years. But in regard to the state of Ohio this year, referencing a "do-nothing" government could not be further from the truth.

Now that the state operating budget has been finalized - filling the $8 billion budget gap without raising taxes - the first six months of my time as House speaker have come and gone. The summer recess from Columbus provides legislators with a great opportunity be even more in touch with our districts and come up with new and innovative legislation to pursue. But I'm very proud of what the Ohio House of Representatives has accomplished so far this year.

This has been a session focused on job creation and spending restraint. If I had to choose a word to highlight the actions we've taken, my answer would be "reform." The reforms we've enacted, especially in regard to business development, were not only capped off most recently with the new budget, but by the fact that legislation I sponsored was also passed to find ways of updating the content and structure of the Ohio Constitution through the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission.

Republican members of the House are finding new ways of carrying out the state's business and making many of the long-overdue changes our state has needed. A terrific example of this type of reform is the collective bargaining legislation that was passed not long ago. Through this effort, we have found a way to restore control of the management of our tax dollars while providing our state's public employers with more flexibility. This ensures that Ohioans are getting a fair deal, while at the same time protecting jobs for our public employees and improving our schools and safety forces.

We can also save money by responsibly addressing the inadequacies of Ohio's criminal sentencing practices, which currently cause prison overcrowding and place a heavy fiscal burden on taxpayers. A package of reforms that the House passed will reduce recidivism and streamline Ohio's correctional system, making it more affordable and effective. With more sentencing options, from adjustable sanctions to various structured programs, we can save tax dollars by offering alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders who have the potential to be reintroduced to society.

But of course, when it comes to government, our voting at the ballot box is where it all originates. For this reason, some of our reforms have strived to modernize and streamline our elections operations while being cautious against fraudulent and unethical voting practices. We can do this through verifying our voter rolls, improving the verification process for absentee and provisional ballots, and updating our statewide standards on how elections are carried out. There are some issues included in the reform that are as simple as allowing voters to change their addresses online.

Ohio has a long tradition of striving for fair and honest elections. If these reforms do nothing more than provide an assurance of the sanctity of the ballot, then that's a pretty good thing for Ohioans to have.

Reforms like these require a lot of action and many hours of work - listening to constituents and focusing on the details that will lead to improvement. I believe that if we are to make a difference in these areas, what we do needs to be done right. During this General Assembly, it has been done right, and that's something that all Ohioans can be proud of.

After extensive debate in both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, the legislature has approved a comprehensive set of common-sense reforms that aim to modernize Ohio’s elections process, streamline operations and reduce costs for local boards of elections. These reforms will ensure fairness and uniformly restore integrity to the elections process in all of Ohio’s 88 counties.

The Ohio House of Representatives today concurred on Senate amendments to House Bill 194, which was introduced in April by State Representative Bob Mecklenborg (R-Cincinnati) and Speaker Pro Tempore Lou Blessing (R-Cincinnati). The bill makes numerous efforts to ensure the integrity of the elections process and simplify the process, including eliminating a period of time where voters can register and vote at the same time, known as “Golden Week,” helping to verify the accuracy of voter rolls, improving the verification process for valid provisional and absentee ballots, and setting statewide standards to all facets of voting.

“I’m very pleased that both chambers have given House Bill 194 its due consideration and made it a better, more comprehensive bill,” said Rep. Mecklenborg. “The bill, as passed today, is the product of months of research, testimony, and thoughtful debate, and at the end of the day, we’ll have a more fair and uniform elections process that increases voter access for all Ohioans.”

In addition to improving the integrity and accuracy of elections, central objectives of the bill are to allow the secretary of state to establish and administer a statewide voter database, permit online voter registration, allow for online voter change-of-address, and move the 2012 primary date from March to May.

“Saving tax dollars and improving the way this state operates are some of our top priorities during this General Assembly, and House Bill 194 accomplishes this goal,” Rep. Mecklenborg said. “As lawmakers, protecting the integrity of this process is just one of the ways we are keeping our elections fair, accessible, honest, and accurate.”

House Bill 194, having received the approval of both the House and the Senate, will now be sent to Governor Kasich for his signature.

The Ohio House of Representatives today unanimously passed legislation written by State Representative Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) to implement changes to Ohio’s Uniform Military and Overseas Voting law to make it more accurately reflect recommendations by the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

“This legislation will implement important flexibilities to assist Ohioans living overseas in exercising one of our most important civic duties: the right and responsibility to vote,” said Dovilla. “I am particularly pleased that my Democratic friend and colleague, Representative Michael Stinziano, joined me in jointly sponsoring this bipartisan bill.”

House Bill 224 will:
• permit a uniformed services or overseas voter to apply for an absentee ballot by email or, if offered by the board of elections, through Internet delivery;
• require boards of elections to accept and process federal write-in absentee ballots for all elections for federal, state or local office and for all ballot questions and issues;
• establish an emergency process for uniformed services and overseas voters to cast a ballot if an international, national, state or local emergency arises that makes substantial compliance with the federal absent voting law impossible or impracticable; and
• permit a uniformed services or overseas voter to use the declaration accompanying a federal write-in absentee ballot to apply to register to vote simultaneously with the submission of the federal write-in absentee ballot.

“In passing House Bill 224, we are honoring the military members within our communities,” continued Dovilla. “While these brave men and women are protecting our country and families around the globe, we have a duty to protect their ability to vote.”

The legislation will now move to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

Rep. Terry Boose is featured on an episode of Ohio in Focus.

The Columbus Dispatch
Saturday, June 18, 2011

STATE REP. ANNE GONZALES

Westerville

In the United States, voting is one of our most sacred constitutional rights. The foundation of our democracy lies in the voice of the American public, and casting our ballots at each election allows our voices to be heard. As your state representative, it is my job to ensure that the voting process is as streamlined and effective as possible. The legislature must always work to keep Ohio’s election system fair and honest.

The procedure of voting is not timeless or set in stone. As times change and technology progresses, updates are necessary to keep this process efficient and free of fraud. America’s voting measures have evolved over the course of our nation’s history. From the way that we count votes to the location we go to cast them, election protocol has shifted dramatically over the years. As Ohio continues to advance in the 21st century, it is crucial to evaluate and tweak our voting system.

Recently, the Ohio House re-examined voting law to pinpoint practices that can be improved. Minimizing costs, increasing the efficacy of the voting experience, and securing its integrity are some of the goals we aim to achieve by instituting changes. House Bill 194 is a package of comprehensive election reforms that will accomplish these objectives. It tackles a wide range of weaknesses within our voting system but, overall, it will modernize the way Ohio votes.

House Bill 194 addresses election issues in a number of different areas, including absentee, provisional voting, and change of address procedure. In terms of absentee ballots, the legislation will set statewide standards to improve their ease of use and level of convenience. It will also revise the verification process for valid absentee and provisional ballots, and lower the number of reasons for which a voter must cast his or her ballot provisionally. These changes will save tax dollars and increase accountability. Moreover, voters will be able to change their address online, a measure that seems logical in our technologically savvy world.

The bill has other improvements that will help stamp out voter fraud. Additionally, House Bill 194 will align the law with ramp requirements for disabled Ohioans.

I am confident that this legislation will provide for a more effective election system. The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, and it is up to legislators to ensure that Ohioans may exercise this right with confidence and efficiency. I encourage you to cast your ballot on each and every Election Day.

During the media gaggle following House session on June 1st, Speaker Batchelder explained that in moving forward on the legislature’s election reform bills, the House and Senate must cooperatively discuss each chamber’s version of the election reform bill and examine the differences between the two. “So generally speaking, we would have the primary sponsor from each house go in a quiet room and work out the differences between the two houses,” Batchelder had said, indicating to members of the media that a discussion between Representative Bob Mecklenborg and Senator Mark Wagoner is necessary in order to determine which bill should be the vehicle for comprehensive election reform.

In response to false claims by the House Democrats that the speaker had called for Democrats to “be intentionally shut out of the process,” Rep. Mecklenborg released the following statement:

“Partisan distortions and empty rhetoric have continued to be the mainstay of the minority caucus during this General Assembly—and unfortunately, these ludicrous claims about the election bill are just another example of meaningless theatrics from the other side of the aisle.

“Speaker Batchelder is an upstanding steward of the people of Ohio and has long embraced the necessity for transparency and accountability in the Ohio House. What the speaker meant by his comment was that the sponsors of the House and Senate bills should meet to discuss the differences between the bills, not make any final decisions on their contents. I’m extremely disappointed that the Democrats exploited the speaker’s remark and took his statement out of context, though I’m not surprised as the politics of distraction have become the primary strategy for the caucus of all talk and no ideas.

“There is truly no one within this great institution who values an open process more than Speaker Batchelder, and to suggest that any member of our caucus—let alone the speaker—would avoid the Sunshine Law is blatantly false. I believe the people of Ohio will be able to see this attack for what it is: merely another partisan attempt to distract from a good, honest effort to clean up the elections process in Ohio.”

It is a common, long-held practice for sponsors of companion legislation to meet at multiple points during the legislative process to exchange thoughts on differences between their bills. Doing so helps to achieve consensus and resolve problems with the bills in advance, rather than fixing them at the last minute.

Overall, the State Government and Elections Committee process on H.B. 194 was open and transparent, providing plenty of opportunity for the public to testify. There were five hearings in the committee and 18 witnesses who spoke to the bill.

05.23.11WSJ_The Case for Voter ID

Today, Representative Bob Mecklenborg (R-Cincinnati) and Speaker Pro Tempore Lou Blessing (R-Cincinnati) introduced comprehensive legislation that will initiate major reforms of Ohio’s elections process. The goal of the bill is to reduce costs of the running statewide elections and simplify the election elections process.

“Fair and accurate elections are a hallmark of the Democratic process,” said Mecklenborg. “The legislation I am sponsoring with Rep. Blessing is aimed at retaining these standards by improving the accessibility and accuracy of elections in the state of Ohio. We have also taken steps to help save tax dollars and make certain aspects of voter eligibility and Election Day procedures more convenient and accountable.”

“I’m very pleased by the bill that Rep. Mecklenborg and I have drafted and introduced today,” said Blessing. “Ensuring that our election laws are as comprehensive and methodical as possible is one of the most important tasks of the General Assembly. In addition to reducing any wasteful spending and providing stability to election laws, we also want to ensure that every Ohioan has a voice and that those voices are not diluted by any other factors.”

Among the components of the bill:

• Allowing the creation of a top-down voter registration database and sharing of information of other states to ensure the accuracy of voter registration rolls


• Allowing online change of address by registered voters


• Authorizing the certification and use of electronic pollbooks


• Simplifying the provisional voting process


• Ensuring uniformity for the issuance of absentee voting applications, absentee voting locations, and time periods


• Clarifying pollworker error

“Chairman Mecklenborg shares my goals of access and accuracy, and I commend Bob’s leadership on this vital issue,” Secretary of State Jon Husted said.

State Senator Mark Wagoner (R-Toledo) introduced companion legislation in the Ohio Senate. The legislation will now be assigned to a House committee, where it will undergo extensive debate and consideration.