(COLUMBUS, OH 12/20/22) – Yesterday, the Ohio chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) signed on to a letter with several Ohio-based organizations urging Governor DeWine to veto House Bill (HB) 458.
HB 458 began as an effort to eliminate August special elections, but the day before the Ohio House passed the bill, over 100 pages were added on to the bill—which included the same voter suppression provisions in HB 294. The bill passed within a matter of days without any committee hearings or opportunity for public testimony.
Aside from issues with the undemocratic process in which the bill was passed, there are a host of issues with the implementation of unnecessary and strict voting laws, including voter ID laws that essentially create a poll tax by causing voters to be subjected to a cost to vote.
The bill is packed with harmful provisions that will increase and intensify existing discriminatory barriers to the ballot box. Specifically, House Bill 458 includes the following concerning provisions:
- Eliminates the use of utility bills and bank statements as a valid form of ID, putting at risk the nearly 800,000 Ohioans who do not currently have the requisite type of photo ID;
- Eliminates Monday as an early voting day, a day used by thousands of Ohioans each year to vote;
- Shortens the deadlines for submitting absentee ballots and the days after the election when such ballots can be received, a provision that will disproportionately impact overseas and military voters;
- Limits absentee dropboxes to only one dropbox per county, regardless how many people live in the county and only available for use when the Board of Elections is open for early voting hours;
- Eliminates access to curbside voting for voters who need it; and
- Targets noncitizens by requiring citizenship status on IDs, subjecting them to potential harassment.
CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Amina Barhumi said in a statement: “HB 458 targets immigrants and noncitizens by requiring citizen status to be listed on IDs. This compounds the possibility of potential discrimination in everyday interactions for immigrant Ohioans, including with law enforcement, while at the doctor’s office, or while making purchases at the grocery store.”
These provisions would not create a more secure election but would enforce a system that disenfranchises voters. CAIR-Ohio, a leading advocate of free and fair elections in our democracy, urges Governor DeWine to protect Ohioans right to the ballot box and veto HB 458.
