Ohio GOP lawmakers proposing election changes
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Several Republican lawmakers have proposed changes to Ohio’s primary election laws, introducing at least four separate bills.
“Our belief is this will help deter those who intend to manipulate the results of our primaries,” Rep. Beth Lear (R-Galena).
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Lear, along with Rep. Brian Lorenz (R-Powell), is sponsoring the latest effort to close Ohio’s primaries with House Bill 437.
Currently, no matter what party you are registered to vote in, you can show up to the polls on primary election day and vote on whichever party’s ballot you want. HB 437 would change that by requiring you to declare a party affiliation 90 days before primary election day.
“They just would need to make that clear 90 days before the primary, not wait until the last minute and decide maybe I like or dislike person A, B, or C,” Lear said.
“I am concerned about disenfranchising the truly independent voter because they are the largest number of people in the voting electorate these days,” Rep. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) said.
Of the state’s 8 million voters, about 5.5 million are unaffiliated, meaning if the primaries close, those voters would have to establish which political party they want to vote in ahead of time, in some cases before it is clear who will be on which ballot and which races will be competitive.
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“I’m opposed to any effort that would at all restrict voter access to the ballot,” Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said. “I look at closed primaries as just one more effort to restrict voters.”
House Bill 210 would require registration by the end of the year before the primary.
House Bill 208 and Senate Bill 147 would allow party registration up to 30 days before the election.
“The shorter the time period, the more shenanigans can happen,” Lear said.
House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) said while he will have to see how the hearings play out, in his county the Republican voter roll has “swelled” and he thinks election laws are partly to thank.
“It has made a big difference,” he said. “I think a lot of the reason for that is because it is really easy to decide which party you want to vote in the primary.”
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As for as the top election official in the state goes, in a statement, Ben Kindel, spokesperson for Secretary of State Frank LaRose, said “The Secretary has long supported the idea of allowing voters to more accurately declare their party affiliation. He appreciates the legislature’s willingness to advance this conversation and looks forward to offering his perspective as the state’s chief of election officer.”
“Maybe one or two somebodies that have made gamesmanship,” Stephens said. “But I think at the end of the day, people will identify with whatever party or whatever party, or they may just identify they don’t want to vote in either one of the primaries.”
Each of the bills has had at least one hearing. Three of them have not had a hearing since last year.
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