To:
House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee
From: Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, Common Cause Ohio, the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in
Ohio, and the Miami Valley Voter Protection Coalition
Date:
January 19, 2016
Re:
Proponent Testimony Substitute Senate Bill 63
Chairman Brown and members of the House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee:
The Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, Common Cause Ohio, the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in
Ohio, and the Miami Valley Voter Protection Coalition submit this joint testimony in support of
Substitute SB 63. Our organizations are committed to democracy and expanding access to the ballot.
We encourage non-partisan civic engagement of Ohio Voters.
We applaud the bill sponsor for introducing this legislation as online voter registration is an important
reform and its time has come to be implemented in Ohio. We summarize the key benefits of online
voter registration below. Additionally, we suggest several changes to enhance the benefits of SB 63.
1. Online Voter Registration is Cost-Effective and Convenient. Online registration means less
paperwork, fewer workers and lower costs. Secretary of State Jon Husted estimated that if Ohio
had implemented online voter registration between 2011 and 2014, Ohio would have saved
$2.8 million – $13.2 million.1 Furthermore, the convenience of online voter registration cannot
be overstated. Just as citizens go online to shop, pay bills, and view credit card statements,
voters want the convenience of registering to vote and updating their address online.
2. Online Voter Registration Creates More Accurate Voter Rolls. Online voter registration will
result in fewer errors in voter records because applicants will be able to directly enter their
personal information – applicants know their own information better than anyone else which
will lead to more accuracy of the voter database. It will also eliminate the need for Board of
Elections staff to decipher ambiguous handwriting. By making a simple and comprehensive
online process in which you can both register to vote and update your registration, voters will
have more confidence in the accuracy and transparency of their voter records.
3. Online Voter Registration is Secure. Online voter registration systems are safe and secure
because an online applicant’s eligibility is verified before being added to the rolls, just as an
applicant who registers to vote on a traditional paper form. To date, no state has reported a
1
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/upload/sites/onlinevoterregistration/onlinevoterregistration.aspx?page=20547
security breach, as the systems include numerous safeguards.2 The potential for voter fraud is
no greater with online registration than with paper forms.3 In fact, some may argue that online
voter registration is safer than traditional paper registration as the applicant remains in control
of his or her personal information and sends that information directly to the board of elections
or secretary of state.
4. Online Voter Registration is Non-Partisan. According to the National Conference of State
Legislatures, 29 states plus the District of Columbia offer online voter registration. Support for
online voter registration is largely nonpartisan, as it has taken hold of red states and blue states,
in big states and little states.4 In today’s era of hyper-polarized election issues, this is one area
where we should all be able to agree that online voter registration is a win-win for voters and
election officials.
While we agree that Substitute SB 63 is an important step to modernize elections, we suggest the
following amendments so as to expand the benefits of Sub. SB 63:
1. Expand access to voters who lack a driver’s license or state ID. An estimated 10% of Ohio’s
voting eligible population lacks a driver’s license or photo ID5, and would be unable to utilize
online voter registration in this bill’s current form. To bridge this gap, we suggest amending
Sub. SB 63 to allow the Secretary of State to use a signature on file with a state agency to
validate an applicant’s registration. Senate Bill 200 passed in the 130th General Assembly,
already enables the Secretary of State and various state agencies to share any information
necessary to register to vote.6 In the same way that the Bureau of Voters Vehicles is able to
transfer an electronic signature for voter registration purposes, so too could state agencies such
as the Department of Job and Family Services. Because the state agency has already verified an
applicant’s name, date of birth, social security number, and signature, no additional security risk
is posed by transferring that applicant’s signature on file to complete an online voter
registration.
2. Require the BOE or SoS to follow up with an applicant who was unable to register to vote. In the
event that an online registration is not successful, applicants should be contacted by the
Secretary of State or the Board of Elections within a reasonable amount of time to complete or
correct an application. Applicants should be offered a paper registration form and a brief
explanation of why the registration was not able to be processed. Currently, Boards of Elections
follow up on incomplete paper applications, and online applications should be treated similarly.
“Online Voter Registration Trends in Development and Implementation.” The Pew Charitable Trusts, May 2015.
http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/Assets/2015/05/OVR_2015_brief.pdf?la=en
3
“Online Voter Signup Gains Favor,” by Sean Lengall, The Washington Times, January 29, 2013
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/29/online-voter-signup-gains-favor-some-gop-states-ha/?page=all
4
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/upload/sites/OnlineVoterRegistration/OnlineVR_USMap.pdf
5
“Study finds costs for photo voter ID bill.” Policy Matters Ohio, April 26, 2012.
http://www.policymattersohio.org/study-finds-costs-for-photo-voter-id-bill
6
R.C.§ 3503.15(A)(2)
2
3. Strike the “unity clause” contained in R.C. §3503.20(G). If any portion of this bill is declared
invalid, it is not in the public’s best interest to have the entire online voter registration system
invalidated. The accuracy, security, and cost-saving benefits of online voter registration should
not be jeopardized.
Thank you for your consideration. Please contact Camille Wimbish at camille@statevoices.org or (614)
454-1262 if you have any questions.