Press Release
May 6, 2021
Contact: Catherine Turcer, Common Cause Ohio: (614) 579-5509 or
Jen Miller, League of Women Voters of Ohio: (614) 563-9543
Ohio Voter Rights Coalition Criticizes Proposed Barriers to Voting
The Ohio Voter Rights Coalition (OVRC) issued the following statement today in response to House Bill 294, the new barriers to voting just introduced in the Ohio General Assembly.
As voter advocates, our mission is to advocate for modern, safe and accessible elections for all Ohio voters, and fair legislative maps that allow voters to choose their representatives, not the other way around. We want to build on the success of the 2020 election by making improvements that are wanted and needed by voters and election officials alike. We need solutions that will move us forward, not backwards. These reforms include:
- More secure dropbox locations for those who vote-by-mail, not reduced access
- More early voting locations in counties that want them
- A vote-by-mail system where voters can request applications online and not worry about postage to return their ballots
- Reduces access to secure, efficient drop boxes
- Undermines Ohioans’ freedom to vote in the manner of their choice
- Requires excessive and complicated identification rules that create unnecessary work for elections officials and ultimately deny eligible voters access to the ballot
- Makes it harder for active-duty military voters overseas to vote.