An Ohio Republican lawmaker wants to require absentee voters provide a copy of their photo ID when they submit their ballot. But the proposal may have found the limit of the GOP supermajority’s zeal for new voting restrictions.
At Ohio House Bill 577’s first hearing, committee members on both sides of the aisle balked at its logistical challenges.
How it works
The bill’s sponsor, Ohio state Rep. Ron Ferguson, R-Wintersville, said one thing the General Assembly has been “exceptionally” good at this session is “increasing the integrity of our elections.”
“This bill,” he said, “takes it a step further, ensuring that every single voter in the state of Ohio does show a photo ID.”
Ferguson contends a photo ID is the “best way to ensure the integrity of our elections.” But Ferguson thinks absentee voters are getting to cast a ballot without the same oversight as voters showing up in-person at the polls.
Under his proposal, absentee voters would have to include a front and back photocopy of their license or other ID when they return their ballot.
Ferguson argues that photo ID requirements for voting are broadly popular, but he makes no real argument for the utility of including a photocopied ID.
When you vote in person, a poll worker checks the picture on your license against the person standing in front of them. That’s not possible with an absentee ballot arriving in the mail.
In most cases, including a copy of your ID merely reiterates the information included on the identification envelope — albeit with a picture.
But to Ferguson it boils down to a simple formula: If voters have to a show an ID when they cast a ballot at the polls, voters casting their ballot at a mailbox should have to do so, too.
“This is about fairness,” he said, “which is really what the whole bill is about.”
Debate
Lawmakers on the panel raised several questions about the mechanics of Ferguson’s proposal, the most obvious being what about people who don’t own a copy machine or printer.
Ohio state Rep. Eric Synenberg, D-Beachwood, asked about seniors who don’t have access to a printer at home.
“I know many people that still don’t,” he said. “I don’t actually have a good printer at my home, believe it or not — I have a printer, but not a copier, let me clarify that — is this a burden for them?”
Not a problem at all, Ferguson claimed. Agencies like the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and county boards of elections among others will provide copies free of charge, he said.
“Any of these places, that I referenced before, where you can currently register to vote, you have the ability to get a copy there,” he said.
The list includes libraries and agencies providing public support like the Department of Job and Family Services. But it also extends to public high schools, vocational schools, and county treasurer offices.
For those voters who can’t make it out of the house, Ferguson added, the bill codifies an existing BMV homebound ID program, adding a requirement that officials provide a photocopy of an individual’s ID for voting.
Ferguson compared the idea to a program where elections officials visit homebound voters so they can cast their ballots.
“(They) could go there, the one Republican, one Democrat from the board of elections and get that copy for that senior voter or any other homebound voter that doesn’t have the ability to do it.”
The committee chair, Ohio state Rep. Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, seemed taken aback at sending bipartisan teams to voters’ homes just to copy a license.
“Was that your suggestion?” she asked.
Ferguson confirmed it was, adding that the program already exists in state law.
“One of the hurdles,” he explained, “could be getting a copy, so we’re expanding their ability to do that as well.”
As a former member of the Medina County Board of Elections, Ray isn’t just familiar with the program, she was actually part of a team visiting homebound voters.
“I guess my concern is this would be such a much larger group to deal with,” she said.
Looking down the list of places that would provide photocopies, she asked “have these organizations been contacted to see if they would participate in this? Or is this something that we know they participate in (in) other states?”
Ferguson didn’t directly respond.
He said simply that “we kept it consistent” with places that provide registration forms, but he’s open to the committee adding or subtracting from the list.