Ohio Adds to List of States with Online Voter Registration

BPC is actively working on voter registration and cross-state data-sharing policy in several states across the country to educate policymakers on the importance of both to a more efficient election administration system. We have been especially engaged in Ohio on online voter registration since before the release of the PCEA report. In May 2015, PCEA Co-Chairs Bob Bauer and Ben Ginsberg sent a letter to Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted outlining the many benefits of online registration and offering the commission’s expertise to policymakers in the state.

BPC fellows Donald Palmer and Tammy Patrick each testified before the Ohio General Assembly in 2015. In his testimony, Palmer, a former director of elections in both Florida and Virginia, described online voter registration as “… truly a bipartisan election administration reform. It is designed to make voter registration more efficient and secure and not provide an advantage to one political party or demographic over another.” Palmer also told legislators that online registration can be beneficial for military and overseas voters who often face challenges in registering to vote and updating their voter registration. He told that committee that:

Patrick, a former election official from Arizona and PCEA commissioner, detailed to legislators the multiple benefits of implementing online voter registration. She noted that online registration achieves efficiencies in cost, administration, and the quality of the voter registration database. Patrick also addressed whether online registration benefits one political party over another, stating:

“There is the inevitable concern that the introduction of OVR will somehow benefit one political party over another, which will contribute to a shift in the composition of the electorate. Yet, OVR is one policy that advocates on both sides of the aisle agree is good policy… states that have instituted OVR show that the voters who use it reflect the demographic of the voters already on the file.”

About to get started in OH discussing #PCEA recommendation of online voter registration: efficient, secure, & good gov!

— Tammy Patrick (@aztammyp) June 17, 2015

Ohio Senator Frank LaRose (R), the primary sponsor of S.B. 63, spoke of the need for implementing an online voter registration system in his state in January, when BPC hosted a two-year retrospective on the progress made on implementing the PCEA’s recommendations. LaRose said of his bill at the time, “… we don’t often do elections reform with bipartisan votes in Ohio. For whatever reason, people tend to retreat to their corners on elections reform issues, but on this one I was really proud that we had strong Democratic support and strong Republican support.”

2 yrs after @SupportTheVoter progress to pass online voter reg in Ohio. Watch me discuss it live w/ @BPC_Bipartisan https://t.co/Hscp5AhIHl

— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) January 22, 2016

After the bill was signed into law, LaRose thanked BPC for its work to see online registration pass in the state.

With Ohio’s enactment of this law, it becomes the 32^nd state to adopt an online voter registration system. BPC and the PCEA will continue working across the country to see this recommendation implemented in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.