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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2011 > February > 28 > Entry
Secretary of State Husted calls for online voter registration, address changes
Secretary of State Jon Husted, the former Dayton-area legislator, on Monday said he will ask the legislature to allow Ohioans to register to vote and change their addresses online.
The process would require a valid Ohio’s driver’s license or state identification card, Husted said at a Statehouse news conference.
It is one of the changes he said he wants the legislature to make by this May to get ready for the November 2012 presidential elections.
The changes strive for a “balance between access and accuracy in the process,” Husted said.
Steve Quillen, Miami County board of elections director, called it a good idea. “It might spur people to actually change their addresses,” Quillen said.
Ten other states already offer or plan to offer on-line registration, Husted said.
Jason Mauk, spokesman for Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, said Husted and Niehaus have spoken about the changes but no firm plans for moving the legislation have been made.
Other changes proposed by Husted include:
*Setting the window for absentee voting by mail at 21 days and 16-days for in-person voting prior to Election Day. The window now is 35 days. The voting period for military voters would stay at 45 days.
*Requiring all county boards of elections to be open from 8 a.m. - noon on the two Saturdays within the in-person early voting period and to be closed on Sundays.
*Closing all in-person absentee voting the Friday before Election Day.
*Setting statewide absentee voting standards, including prohibiting boards of elections from mailing unsolicited absentee ballot requests or pre-paying postage for returned absentee ballot applications or voted ballots.
*Requiring those who are registering to vote or voting an absentee or provisional ballot who choose to use their Social Security number for identification purposes to provide all nine digits, instead of just the last four.
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By Mike R
March 1, 2011 9:49 AM | Link to this
In the past, fraudulent registration and voting was prosecuted. But over the recent past few years the gov’t, particularly state gov’t, was lax in going after that criminal activity. Jennifer Brunner, former Secretary of State, only brought one case to court—It was in 2007 regarding the 2006 elections. The man was convicted of illegally voting twice—He was registered in two different counties by ACORN. In 2008 multiple people in Cuyahoga County voted multiple times. One man claimed to have voted 72 times. Ms. Brunner didn’t prosecute those cases. However, those cases were used by 1851 Center for Constitutional Law in their lawsuit against ACORN. The court allowed that evidence and ACORN lost the suit. It was that lawsuit and subsequent agreement that forced ACORN out of Ohio—Jennifer Brunner and the former Governor had no intention of enforcing federal law when it came to protecting voters rights.
By JS
March 1, 2011 9:04 AM | Link to this
Just another way to track and control you.
By Squirrellygirl
March 1, 2011 8:37 AM | Link to this
I’m not convinced that past abuse of our voting system with fraudulent registrations and voting have been prosecuted or even properly investigated. For those of you who deny this even happened, you apparently didn’t listen to the media nor read the newspaper, because it was widely reported. I find it alarming, and I don’t want our government to take any chances to make it easier for this to continue. Although I heard about the abuse, I haven’t heard anything regarding prosecuting or investigating the abuse… DDN?
By Squirrellygirl
March 1, 2011 8:30 AM | Link to this
I have to agree with Laura on this one. I don’t think until the internet is secured that we should be involving it in our voting. It is too important to take that chance, and Peter was right about being fair to other religions that it isn’t fair to close it on Sunday if you have it open on Saturday when Jews can’t vote. Also, for get real, conspiracy theories? You mean like Kalifate where country after country’s citizens are rebelling and the muslim brotherhood will try to take over and eventually attack Isreal, you mean like that? Like what is exactly happening right now, and has spread to all over America, thanks to UNIONS which are communistic? Did you see that the socialists and communists are supporting the union uprisings? That the unions are paying for the rebellions in Egypt, for example? See the communist signs? Workers of the World Unite? Yea, who would think…conspiracy theories, not theories anymore, huh?
By Bob Roberts
February 28, 2011 10:52 PM | Link to this
Ah, that would it make it easier to live in Columbus but say you live in Kettering. Clever.
By Joe
February 28, 2011 10:37 PM | Link to this
Terry, I think the reason we are “loosing” our status in the world has a little bit more to do with education, and a little less to do with government regulations. The countries that are about to pass us economically are Japan and China, two countries that are nothing but government regulations. If you want to focus on education, please be literate in your posts, it looks bad for all of us… Btw, I think online voter registration is a wonderful idea, the world revolves around the internet and I think younger generations would be more likely to vote if they were able to register online. IMHO
By Jim
February 28, 2011 8:43 PM | Link to this
The New Black Panthers thugs will have to re-schedule their racist intimidation.
By Terry
February 28, 2011 6:55 PM | Link to this
Too many laws, to many government regulations, to many Government agencies that want to regulate everything we do. Why do you think we are loosing our status in the world. It’s getting to hard to setup business in America we got better educations before the dept of education was started. We built houses before the dept of housing was established. and we don’t need the EPA !
By Laura
February 28, 2011 6:40 PM | Link to this
I think he is crazy, anything involved with voting and the internet should not be allowed PERIOD ! With fraud being what it can be on the internet he is only opening up a can of worms voting should be changed to saturday to allow more tax payers to vote
By voting holiday
February 28, 2011 5:41 PM | Link to this
while were at it, why don’t we declare election day, every two years, a national holiday. and do it the day after the 4th of July. The weather is much more forgiving, and something as important as voting should be treated as important as Christmas.
By curious
February 28, 2011 4:46 PM | Link to this
anonymous, Are you Lynn Hulsey?
By Peter
February 28, 2011 4:06 PM | Link to this
What about observant Jews? By not allowing places to be open on Sundays you are restricting them to Mon-Fri only. Either you allow Saturday AND Sunday or neither to be fair to all.
By anonymous
February 28, 2011 3:54 PM | Link to this
Husted would be the perfect one to ask about how to catch fraudulent voters. He has plenty of experience with defrauding voters about his permanant address.
By alanzo hern
February 28, 2011 3:51 PM | Link to this
“What is done to those people who are caught fraudulently voting? Has anyone spent any time in jail or prison for this?” There are numerous state and federal laws that cover fraudulent voting, and yes people have been fined and served jail time for being convicted.
By Get Real
February 28, 2011 3:50 PM | Link to this
Squirrely - We keep hearing all the conspriracy theories about the people who vote fraudulently, but the truth is that it rarely happens. Repeated investigations into the matter fail to find any evidence of the crime, which is probably why not many people are serving time for it. Just not happening.
By alanzo hern
February 28, 2011 3:45 PM | Link to this
“Is there anything in place to catch those who are abusing the system and using fraudulently other people’s information to vote over and over again?” Evidence that this is happening, please.
By Jerry
February 28, 2011 3:40 PM | Link to this
If it isn’t already possible, how about getting absentee ballots online?
By Mantis
February 28, 2011 3:12 PM | Link to this
This sounds like an excellent idea. I would take it a step further and make it possible for people to vote online. With the technology that exists today, it seems feasible. And maybe it would increase voter participation.
By Squirrellygirl
February 28, 2011 2:24 PM | Link to this
Is there anything in place to catch those who are abusing the system and using fraudulently other people’s information to vote over and over again? Is there anyway to confirm changes in another way? What is done to those people who are caught fraudulently voting? Has anyone spent any time in jail or prison for this? If not, why not?