First Posted: 2/25/2015
If we are looking at the calendar correctly, this is the year 2015. Thus it is about time that Ohio joins 24 other states in allowing on-line voter registration.
There’s nothing partisan about Senate Bill 63, introduced this month by Frank LaRose, an Akron area Republican. His bill simply provides for online voter registration while preserving the option of using paper forms.
It has the complete support of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, who told The Lima News that on-line registration is secure, efficient and saves money. “There’s just nothing to be paranoid about,” Husted said.
The three states with the longest history of on-line registration — Arizona, Washington and Kansas — have found no evidence of fraud or security threats, LaRose told the Akron Beacon Journal. Yet, the benefits they’ve experienced are many:
• Voter convenience.
• Reduction of clerical errors.
• Cost savings, ranging from 50 cents to $1 for each registration.
• Reduction in the state’s heavy use of provisional ballots, which are cast on Election Day when questions arise about a voter’s registration.
Hopefully, Ohioans won’t see a repeat of last year when similar legislation, the Democrat led House Bill 78, died after sitting around for 11 months with no movement. It too was heavily supported by Husted, a Republican, but his party members failed its citizens.
Ohioans have welcomed the changes in voting procedures the last 10 years. Early in-person voting and no-fault absentee voting have proven popular. The state already allows registered voters to update their addresses online. Online registration would move the needle closer to greater convenience for voters in easing access to the ballot box.
This is a bill that is a no-brainer and deserves to move quickly through the Senate and House.
