Rep. Ray Testifies in First Hearing on Election Modernization and Security Act

State Rep. Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth) gave her first testimony on House Bill 294, which will modernize and codify election laws as they currently stand in the State of Ohio. Ray spoke to the legislation in the House Government Oversight Committee earlier today.

“Ohio succeeds at elections because we’ve found the right balance of voter access and election security,” Ray said. “I think we can all agree, it’s in all our best interest to build off that balance – utilizing both technology and best practices to improve upon our election system. I believe this bill achieves that objective.”

Ray highlighted some of the provisions in the bill that:

• Allows for Ohio voters to request an absentee ballot online – through a secure two-factor authentication – similar to the current online voter registration system.
• Codifies automated (not automatic) voter registration through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). The BMV will also be able to update voter registration addresses when individuals update their addresses at the BMV.
• Allow for a prioritized list of voter identification methods – expanding the list to allow electronic versions of their bank statements or utility bills instead of hard copies.
• Requires extensive testing of voting machines prior to the use in any and all elections.
• Eliminates “in-person” voting the Monday before the election based on the request from many local Boards of Elections. “Monday hours” will be shifted to extend the in-person voting hours to week before the election.
• Prevents the mailing of absentee ballots less than 10 days before the election to ensure the USPS has enough time to deliver the ballot to the requester before Election Day.
• Expands the definition of voter activity to ensure fewer active voters are removed from the voter rolls.

Ray has an extensive background on the issue of elections as formerly serving six years as a member of the Medina County Board of Elections and the bipartisan Ohio Elections Officials Association.

Along with Ray, State Rep. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) is a joint sponsor of the bill, which now awaits further committee hearings.

To view Ray’s full testimony, please watch here.