Ohio House To Consider Updated Voter Suppression Bill
UPDATE: On Dec. 12, the Government Oversight Committee voted on party lines to send H.B. 294 to the House floor.
UPDATE: On Nov. 17, the Government Oversight Committee adopted the substitute to H.B. 294.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, Nov. 17, the Ohio House of Representatives Government Oversight Committee will consider a substitute to House Bill 294, a voter suppression bill originally by Republican legislators introduced in 2021. The substitute version would make the bill substantially worse for voters, removing an automatic voter registration system provision, several ways that allow voters to keep their voter registration active and a section that would codify curbside voting in future Ohio elections. It would also prohibit the secretary of state from sending absentee ballot applications to all voters and shorten the time to accept mail-in ballots.
As originally introduced H.B. 294 already contained numerous problematic provisions, placing limits on drop boxes, new restrictions on registration and absentee voting and shortening the early voting period. The committee will consider the substitute version in a hearing at 9:00 a.m. EST.