Sharing the Truth about Ohio Elections by Citizen Volunteer Researchers
Virtually all states have serious election integrity issues, including Ohio. Once you see the data as we have, you cannot unsee. That is why we are here.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact Issues
Ohio Votes Count HB472 Resolutions
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #1 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
There is no existing law that standardizes voting registration system requirements across all Ohio counties.
The Secretary of State establishes rules and guidelines for voting registration systems that may not be written as legislators intend, the Secretary of State may not enforce, and may change with a new Secretary of State administration. While Ohio is a home-rule state and county boards of elections own and manage their county’s voter registration data, the Secretary of State currently controls some of the data validation in Ohio’s county voter registration databases.
In each of the last 3 years, around 10% of all voter records have been identified as having potential errors and/or eligibility issues. How many elections in Ohio are decided by less than a 10% difference in votes?
Current voter registration systems requirements and enforcement do not adequately ensure accurate and current voter registration rolls are maintained, as required by The National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act enacts rules and guidelines of voting registration systems into law in accordance with the Ohio Constitution and federal law.
Counties are empowered with access to resources, data and tools to ensure accurate and current voter registration databases.
The Secretary of State provides support, guidance and enforcement at the state level; however, each county, rather than the state, shall validate, verify and be responsible for all data in a county voter registration database.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #2 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Without access to appropriate resources to validate, county Boards of Elections add applicants to voter registration databases from paper registration application forms with virtually any name, address, date of birth and identification number.
This leads to the following ineligible voter registrations appearing on Ohio voter rolls with potentially illegal votes in Ohio elections:
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Not a US citizen.
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Not a valid driver’s license or state id number
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Not a valid last four digits of social security number
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Not a valid residential address
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Birth date indicates the applicant is too young to vote, or older than the oldest person in the country
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Applicant name, address and/or birth date does not match the driver’s license or state id record
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Applicant name and/or birth date does not match last four digits of social security record
In addition, if a registration is found to be ineligible after it is added to the voter rolls, it usually cannot be removed from Ohio voter rolls for a minimum of four years according to federal and state law.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act provides county Boards of Elections access to BMV records and the ability to verify US citizenship. All application information is required to be validated before an applicant is added to Ohio voter rolls. Existing ineligible voters are reported by the Secretary of State, available for online public viewing, and county Boards of Elections are responsible to resolve in accordance with federal and state law.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #3 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
A driver’s license/state id is required to register to vote at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and online, but not on a paper registration application form.
Persons can register to vote in Ohio on paper voter registration application forms using the last four digits of a social security number as identification, even if they have an Ohio driver’s license or state id card.
Help America Act of 2002 specifically requires a voter registration not to be accepted or processed unless the application includes a current and valid Ohio driver’s license/state identification card number, and only if the applicant does not have one, should the applicant enter the last four digits of social security number as identification
By not requiring the same identification requirements for all registrants, equal protection of the law guaranteed in the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution is denied.
A photo-id is required in Ohio to purchase cigarettes, alcohol, a cell phone, some cold medicines, to board an airplane, rent a hotel room, and drive a car - but not to register to vote by paper application form? Why not?
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires most persons registering to vote to use a driver’s license or state identification card number as identification. Name, address and birth date are already validated, along with US citizenship is most cases. A photo exists for identity verification. Only if a person submits a valid religious objection to being photographed affidavit can the last 4 digits of social security number be entered as identification. All voter registration information is required to be validated, and identity and citizenship verified to ensure every applicant is eligible to vote before adding a voter record to Ohio voter rolls.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #4 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Ohio voter registration systems are vulnerable to foreigners and other bad actors submitting large numbers of fictitious voter registration forms that are likely to be added to Ohio’s voter rolls.
These illegal voters can now sign a petition for a Constitutional Amendment similar to the two Constitutional Amendments that were placed on Ohio’s ballots November 2023 as a result of having enough signatures on a petition.
The driver’s license/state id or last four digits of social security number is verified AFTER an illegal registration has already been added to Ohio’s voter rolls; however, even when the identification is found to be invalid, the illegal voter can still sign a petition. In addition, as long as the Acknowledgment Notice mailed by the Board of Elections is not returned ‘undeliverable’, the illegal voter can vote in any election, in-person or by mail.
Hundreds of thousands of voter records exist on the statewide voter registration database with a college, large apartment building, or mobile home address without a room, apartment or lot number. Acknowledgment Notices mailed to these addresses are not likely returned to the Board of Elections undeliverable, but rather stack up in a mail room before eventually being discarded.
Fictitious voter registrations may be using the address loophole above to register to vote.
Even if voters are found to be ineligible, federal and state laws make it extremely difficult to remove them. Voters can remain on Ohio voter rolls for over 4 years, and potentially vote.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires all voter registration information be validated, and identity and citizenship verified to ensure every applicant is eligible to vote before adding to Ohio voter rolls.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #5 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Since 2011, over 800,000 requests to Help America Vote Verification were made to identify persons who used the last 4 digits of social security number when registering to vote or to vote. This number may be an indicator of hundreds of thousands of Ohio voters who registered with the last 4 digits of social security number.
250,000 non-matches have been reported, meaning the last 4 digits of social security number searched was not found or did not match the name and/or birth date on a voter registration application or identification for an absentee/provisional ballot. Around one of three persons who registered to vote or submitted an absentee/provisional ballot with the last 4 digits of social security number may be invalid. These numbers are concerning.
In addition, the address entered on a voter registration application is not verified to be the residence address of the applicant when the last 4 digits of social security number is used as identification to register to vote.
The Secretary of State processes a BMV/SSA Program to verify the last 4 digits of social security number exists on Social Security Administration (SSA) records and associates to the name and birth date of the applicant almost immediately after a voter record is added to Ohio voter rolls; however, voters associated to non-match registrations are still able sign a petition to change Ohio’s Constitution. In addition, persons associated to non-matches are still able to vote by-mail as long as the Acknowledgment Notice mailed after registering to vote is not returned to the county Board of Elections undeliverable.
Ohio Votes Count Act HB472 requires most persons registering to vote to use a driver’s license or state identification card number as identification. Name, address and birth date are already validated, along with US citizenship is most cases. A photo exists for identity verification. Only if a person submits a valid religious objection to being photographed affidavit can the last 4 digits of social security number be entered as identification. All voter registration information is required to be validated, and identity and citizenship verified to ensure every applicant is eligible to vote before adding a voter record to Ohio voter rolls.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #6 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
When an applicant enters a driver’s license or state id number as identification when registering to vote by paper form, there is no verification the driver’s license or state id number exists on Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) records, or associates to the name, address and birth date entered on the paper voter registration application form before the person is added to Ohio’s voter rolls by election officials.
The Secretary of State processes a BMV/SSA Program to verify the driver’s license or state id number with BMV records almost immediately after a voter record is added to Ohio voter rolls; however, if the driver’s license/state id number entered on the voter registration application does not exist, or the name, address and/or birth date associated to the driver’s license/ state id number on BMV records does not match the application, voters associated to the non-match registrations are still able sign a petition to change Ohio’s Constitution.
In addition, persons associated to these non-match registrations are still able to vote in any election in-person or by-mail as long as the Acknowledgment Notice mailed after registering to vote is not returned to the county Board of Elections undeliverable.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires most persons registering to vote to use a driver’s license or state identification card number as identification. Name, address and birth date are already validated, along with US citizenship in most cases. A photo exists for identity verification. If a person submits a valid religious objection to being photographed affidavit, the last 4 digits of social security number are to be entered as identification. All voter registration information is required to be validated, and identity and citizenship verified to ensure every applicant is eligible to vote before adding a voter record to Ohio voter rolls.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #7 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
When registering to vote other than in-person, election officials do not have the ability to ensure the registration is received by the true elector. When registering to vote using the last 4 digits of social security number, the application residence address cannot be verified by the Social Security Administration (SSN).
When voting in-person, an elector is required to provide a valid photo-id in which bipartisan election officials can compare an elector’s facial features to their photo-id. When voting by mail with the last 4 digits of a SSN, election officials do not have the ability to compare a photo to ensure the ballot is received by the true elector.
Ohio Votes Count Act HB472 requires a driver’s license or state id for most to register and vote with limited exemptions.
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Name and birth date on the voter registration application are validated to BMV records.
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Address on the voter registration application is verified to the id card or updated BMV records accessible by county Boards of Elections.
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US citizenship verification for all applicants is streamlined using documents on file at the BMV. In addition, every new Ohio driver’s license/state id card displays citizenship information directly on the driver’s license/state id.
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Identity is verified when the photo on a driver’s license/state id is compared to a person’s facial features when a driver’s license or state id is produced to register to vote and to vote in-person.
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Hundreds of thousands of abandoned voter registrations (e.g., college students), and hundreds of thousands of Confirmation Notices issued will be reduced significantly. Once voters who have a driver’s license move and apply for a driver’s license in another state, their abandoned Ohio voter registration is automatically canceled, resulting in significant taxpayer cost savings.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires most persons registering to vote to use a driver’s license or state identification card number as identification. Name, address and birth date are already validated, along with US citizenship in most cases. A photo exists for identity verification. If a person submits a valid religious objection to being photographed affidavit, the last 4 digits of social security number are to be entered as identification. All voter registration information is required to be validated, and identity and citizenship verified to ensure every applicant is eligible to vote before adding a voter record to Ohio voter rolls.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #8 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Hundreds of thousands of abandoned college student voter registrations exist across Ohio. Some remain on the voter rolls for decades. Persons as old as 74 are registered at OSU dorms. Over 86% of all registered voters in 8 college area campuses are in Confirmation Status, indicating issues exist with those registrations.
College students who vote using campus temporary student housing as their permanent residence may be violating the residency eligibility qualification to vote as stated in Revised Code Title 35 Section 3503.02, and dilute the vote of local citizens on community issues.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires most persons registering to vote to use a driver’s license or state identification card number as identification. Name, address and birth date are already validated, along with US citizenship in most cases. A photo exists for identity verification. If a person submits a valid religious objection to being photographed affidavit, the last 4 digits of social security number are to be entered as identification. All voter registration information is required to be validated, and identity and citizenship verified to ensure every applicant is eligible to vote before adding a voter record to Ohio voter rolls.
If an out-of-state college student is not legally considered an Ohio resident to register to vote, they likely will be able to register and vote a mail-in ballot should be able to register and vote a likely can register to vote in their home state and vote a mail-in ballot.
In the weekly reports produced by the Secretary of State, electors are identified whose residence address is a short-term housing facility and the registration date suggests the elector has moved. This would include most college dormitories. The county Boards of Elections are required to investigate and place electors in Confirmation Status who have been at a short-term housing residence address longer than the time period allowed at the housing facility.
As required by federal and state law, these electors in Confirmation status still remain eligible to vote in-person or by-mail in any election for a minimum of 4 years and two general elections before the voter record is canceled, which highlights the importance of persons registering to vote with an Ohio driver’s license/state id. Their voter registrations are canceled when they move to another state and either transfer their driver's license or register to vote in another state.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #9 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Current voting registration systems allow ineligible persons who are under the legal age to vote to register and vote, in violation of the 26th Amendment to the US Constitution, the Ohio Constitution, federal and state law.
In 2020, 7 counties allowed ineligible electors under age 18 as of the next general election to register to vote with full access to vote.
In 2022, 11 counties allowed ineligible electors under age 18 as of the next general election to register to vote with full access to vote.
County Boards of Elections may be adding persons who are too young to be eligible to register to vote in Ohio voter rolls so they may work in upcoming Ohio elections. This process is not compliant to Ohio law which requires a person to be 18 years or older at the next November election to be eligible to register to vote. A person may register to vote when they are age 17 as long as they are age 18 in November on Election Day; however, persons younger than this appear on Ohio voter rolls.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires voter registration applicants to be of legal age before adding an applicant to the voter rolls. Existing voter registrants are screened for to be of legal age to register during the weekly Secretary of State reports process. County Boards of Elections are responsible to resolve issues in accordance with federal and state law.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #10 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
It is not possible for the deceased to be eligible to register or vote.
However, the official statewide voter registration database was compared to Ohio Department of Health records between the years 2000 and 2021, and over 1,800 deceased persons were identified as registered to vote in NOV 2022, and 800 of them voted in the NOV 2022 election.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires the Secretary of State develop and maintain a reference list of deceased persons from all available sources of death records, and to distribute such reference list to county Boards of Elections monthly. The Secretary of State compiles and transmits to county Boards of Elections a weekly report containing electors who have died based on information obtained in the reference list of deceased persons. County Boards of Elections review the information and cancels voter records of electors who have died, and sends a Cancellation Notice.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #11 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Duplicate, triplicate and more voter registration records exist for the same person on Election Day, in violation of federal and state law.
The Election Official Manual published by the Secretary of State requires county Boards of Elections to keep duplicate voter records at a maximum of 30 duplicates out of 100,000 voter registrations, and 0% before an election.
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18,470 likely duplicate, triplicate and additional multiple voter registration records existed on NOV 3 2020, the date of the general election in which the SOS expected 0% duplicate numbers.
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5,538 likely duplicate voter registration records existed in MAR 2023.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires the Secretary of State to produce weekly reports of electors who have been identified as apparent duplicate voter registration records within a county, between two or more counties in Ohio, or between Ohio and other states.
County Boards of Elections are required to investigate and cancel duplicate voter registration records between Ohio counties, and between Ohio and another state if the voter appears on a permanent USPS National Change of Address (NCOA) list and:
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is registered to vote with the same address as on the NCOA list
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applied for a driver’s license/state id with the same address as on the NCOA list
A voter registration application in another county or state acts as a cancellation request of any previous voter registration.
Duplicate votes are required to be referred to the prosecuting attorney for investigation.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #12 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
In NOV 2022, over 13,000 names on the statewide voter registration database had characters in the Secretary of State’s Election Official Manual as “must never be entered.”
Current county voter registration systems do not consistently require the most basic data entry screenings to keep names with invalid characters from being accepted. There are no consistent standards for entering a name across all counties, which allows the same person to be registered multiple times on the statewide voter registration database with similar names, such as William on one voter record and Bill on another voter record.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires the full name on a voter registration application match the full name on the identification used to register on Bureau of Motor Vehicles or Social Security Administration records. This alleviates duplicate voter records with similar names. An applicant’s full name is compared to a Names Reference List of known Ohio residents age 17 or older to assist in data entry. If a person is eligible to vote but doesn’t exist on the Names Reference List, the county Board of Elections shall submit an change for the Secretary of State to update the Names Reference List.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #13 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
In NOV 2022, around 130,000 registered voters had invalid residence addresses including illegal mail store or other non-residential addresses, invalid zip codes, do not follow USPS standards, or do not follow data entry standards in the Secretary of State Election Official Manual.
Current county voter registration systems do not consistently require the most basic data entry screenings to keep addresses with invalid characters from being accepted.
Ohio law excludes mail stores as a residence address and county BOEs are instructed by the Election Official Manual to perform regular reviews for electors whose residence address is that of a USPS PO Box or a commercial facility, and requires each board to program its county voting registration system to flag the usage of any such address. Despite these laws and directives, counties continue to register voters with residence addresses that are illegal USPS or commercial mail stores, and some of these illegally added voters cast illegal votes in Ohio elections.
With limited exceptions, HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires the address on a voter registration application match the address on the driver’s license or state id card or updated BMV records. An applicant’s residence address is compared to the following Address Reference Lists: (1) all known residential Ohio addresses in a standardized format, (2) all known Ohio addresses not suitable as residences, and (3) all known Ohio residential addresses that correspond to short-term housing facilities. If a valid residence address doesn’t appear on one of the appropriate lists above, the Board of Elections shall submit an update to the Address Reference List to the Secretary of State.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #14 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Current voting registration systems require electors who move to another state to remain on Ohio voter rolls for 4 – 6 years even if they (1) are registered and may even be voting in another state, or (2) transferred their driver’s license to another state.
As of OCT 2022, over 82,000 voter records on the statewide voter registration database were identified as having permanently moved to another state by USPS National Change of Address list moves out of Ohio and were confirmed registered voters in another state, yet remain as active status registered voters eligible to vote in Ohio. As of SEP 2023, over 90% of these Ohio voter registrations remained on Ohio voter rolls in Confirmation Status, still with the ability to vote in any election in-person or by-mail, while registered to vote and potentially voting in another state.
Ohio Revised code Section 3503.02 clearly indicates an elector loses residency and is no longer eligible to be an elector in Ohio if they move with the intention of making the other state their personal residence. Likewise, if an elector registers to vote in another state, they no longer meet eligibility requirements to register to vote in Ohio.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires the Secretary of State to report on a weekly basis, electors who appear on USPS National Change of Address Reference List as having permanently moved, and also (1) registered to vote and may be voting using the same address in another state, or (2) transferred their driver’s license to the same address in another state. County Boards of Elections shall investigate and cancel voter records of persons who moved and (1) registered to vote in another state, or (2) transferred their driver’s license to another state.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #15 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Invalid birth dates of JAN 1 1800 exist on the statewide voter registration database.
In NOV 2020, 1,320 electors had JAN 1 1800 birth date; 485 in Active status and 191 voted.
In NOV 2022, 807 electors had JAN 1 1800 birth date; 184 in Active status and 90 voted.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires a valid date of birth to register to vote. It is a critical data field to assure a person is eligible to vote. The Secretary of State is required to report on a weekly basis, electors with an invalid birth date. County Boards of elections are required to investigate and take appropriate action.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #16 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Current voting systems allow invalid registration dates, including JAN 1 1900, registration dates before birth dates, registration dates before legal age to vote and after the 30 day deadline to register and vote in the next election.
In AUG 2023 Special Election, over 54,000 electors in Cuyahoga County had a JAN 1 1900 registration date and over 40,000 voted.
5,927 electors voted with a registration date after the deadline to register to vote in Butler County and vote in the NOV 3 2020 election. After taking into consideration potential ballots postmarked by the deadline date and all provisional ballots, 2,425 unexplained votes still exist and have not been adequately investigated.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act includes language from The Data Act to clarify data entry of registration date.
The Secretary of State is required to produce weekly reports that include invalid registration dates; county Boards of Elections are required to investigate and take appropriate actions.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #17 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Current voting registration systems cause hundreds of thousands of Confirmation Notices to be mailed annually to registered voters who cannot receive these Notices and are not provided the opportunity to receive a Notice as required by federal and state law. These electors moved long ago; notices by mail are no longer forwarded to them.
By Secretary of State directive, a month before an elector is scheduled to be canceled, Ohio mails an additional Last Change Notice at taxpayer expense that has not been legislated into law and is not required by federal or state law to all electors who are schedule to be cancelled. A 2019 press release indicated there was a 3% response of nearly 277,000 Last Chance Notices mailed. How many of these were mailed to addresses in which the electors would never receive them, as they moved long ago? A 2nd Last Chance Notice was sent at taxpayer expense that resulted in a 1% response.
It is estimated that Ohio spends over one million dollars on printing and postage each time attempts are made to notify 1 million voters in Confirmation status, or mail one million unsolicited absent ballot applications to registered voters who will never receive them because they moved long ago, and costs increase exponentially once administrative costs are considered, all paid for by Ohio taxpayers.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requirement to verify voter application information before adding an applicant to Ohio voter rolls will significantly lower the number of Confirmation Notices mailed; however, more needs to be done to reduce these unnecessary taxpayer expenses.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #18 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
The current Voter Registration Program informs applicants they must be a US citizen to register to vote without informing applicants the requirements to be a US citizen. Similarly, applicants are not informed of Ohio residency requirements to register and vote.
Designated Agencies are generally defined as agencies that provide public assistance and funded programs primarily engaged in servicing the disabled. Ohio Election Official Manual 12/20/2023 includes Ohio’s four-year state-supported colleges and universities as Designated Agencies. A coordinator is assigned, and employees are trained to administer a voter registration program with assistance to applicants who wish to register to vote.
Other state agencies and offices in Ohio, including public high schools, vocational schools, public libraries, county treasurer, probate courts, common pleas courts, secretary of state, boards of elections and bureau of motor vehicles are also responsible to provide voter registration applications and assistance in registering to vote; however, since they are not considered a Designated Agency, there is no coordinator or employees trained to administer a voter registration program with assistance to applicants who wish to register to vote.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act combines Designated Agencies and other state agencies and offices in Ohio that are also responsible to distribute or make available voter registration application and change forms into Voter Registration Agencies.
Expand the Voter Registration Program so that every Voter Registration Agency designates a person to be trained as coordinator for the Voter Registration Program and train employees to administer the program. Training shall include explanations to potential applicants of all the qualifications to register and vote.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #19 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
State agencies who provide public assistance and service the disabled are required by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to provide a form that asks persons seeking these public services if they would like to register to vote regardless of whether the person is qualified to register to vote.
For example, a packet of documents for an applicant to fill out for public assistance at Ohio Job and Family Services includes a voter registration application form in the middle of the packet.
Agencies who provide assistance in voter registration are not required to validate a voter registration application before forwarding the application for processing. The county Board of Elections adds voter records to Ohio voter rolls without any verification of the information entered.
Are non-citizens in need of public services unknowingly committing a crime by registering to vote?
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires each Voter Registration Agency to distribute a Qualifications to Register and Vote information sheet to potential applicants with distribution of a voter registration application form. The information sheet describes qualifications to register and vote, and provides a list of acceptable documents an applicant must possess to qualify as a US citizen.
Voter Registration Agencies are required to review each completed voter registration application to validate information entered on the form corresponds to information on file at the Voter Registration Agency, as applicable, advise the applicant to correct any invalid information, and advise the applicant if they do not meet the qualifications to register and vote based on information on file at the Agency.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #20 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Voter Registration Application forms lack important information to ensure correct entry.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act provides the following updates to the paper registration and update form and online system:
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Paper/Online: Name is to be the full name as stated on driver’s license or state id; if the applicant does not have one and submits a valid Affidavit of Religious Objection to Being Photographed, name should be the same as the name on the affidavit.
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Paper/Online: Address is clarified to be ‘residence address’
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Paper: Identification is driver’s license or state id; if the applicant doesn’t have one and submits a valid Affidavit of Religious Objection to Being Photographed, identification is the last 4 digits of social security number
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Paper/Online: Declaration under penalty includes a list of documents that prove citizenship in which the applicant acknowledges possession, and a list of all eligibility requirements.
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Paper: Instructions include a list of all qualifications and all the acceptable document names that prove US citizenship
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Paper: Residency instructions are stated as in Revised Code.
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Paper: Identification instructions is driver’s license/state id; if the applicant does not have one and submits a valid Affidavit of Religious Objection to Being Photographed, identification is the last 4 digits of social security number.
The online system provides instructions to verify the applicant is a US citizen.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #21 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Current voter registration systems use an unnecessarily complex system of assigning voter registration identification numbers at the state level, apparently unknown to elected officials.
Some identifications numbers are assigned sequentially, as expected. However, other identification numbers are assigned non-sequentially without any obvious reason.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act replaces the current unexplained method of assigning voter registration identification numbers with a unique sequentially issued serial number.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #22 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Current voting registration systems allow ineligible voter records to coexist with eligible voter records on voter registration databases, providing a potential for these voter records to change from ineligible to eligible voter registrations without proper authorization.
Ineligible voter records include canceled voter records, and information from voter registration application and update forms received but are incomplete or not yet verified.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires voter records of ineligible persons to be held in a physically separate location from eligible voters. Only after all data on a voter registration application or update form is validated, and after determining the applicant is authentic and a US citizen, shall a voter registration record be added or updated on a county voter registration database.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #23 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Persons are added to Ohio voter rolls without 1st being verified to be a US citizen.
An average of over a thousand new non-citizens currently apply for an Ohio driver’s license or state id each month in Ohio. Over 236,000 are issued to non-citizens in Ohio. Federal law requires each of these persons to apply to register to vote unless the applicant fails to sign the registration application, even if BMV officials have information that the person is a non-citizen.
Federal law requires public service agencies including Ohio Job & Family Services to ask if a person requesting public services wants to register to vote, even if the agency has information that the person is a non-citizen.
Are non-citizens educated on the requirements to become a citizen when they apply for a driver’s license or public services? Is it possible for non-citizens to be misled into illegally registering to vote?
Ohio election officials do not verify persons who apply to register to vote to be US citizens before adding them to Ohio voter rolls.
While an annual review of non-citizens on Ohio’s voter rolls may identify some non-citizens, it is not adequate in preventing non-citizens from registering AND voting in Ohio elections.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act expands voter registration instructions to inform potential applicants of all eligibility requirements to register to vote, including the documents required to be considered a US citizen.
All applicants are verified for US citizenship before they are added to Ohio voter rolls.
Persons already on Ohio voter rolls are screened for US citizenship using all available resources. If US citizenship cannot be verified, the person is required to cast a provisional ballot and provide documents that prove US citizenship.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #24 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Potential non-citizens exist on Ohio voter rolls and vote in Ohio elections, since applicants are not verified for US citizenship before being added to Ohio voter rolls.
As reported by the Department of Public Safety in MAR 2024, over 236,000 non-citizens have an Ohio driver license/state id issued by the BMV, and there are over 267,000 non-citizens are Ohio residents according to the census. How many of them are on Ohio’s voter rolls?
Secretary of State conducts an Annual Review of the official statewide voter registration database to identify persons who appear to not be US citizens based solely on citizenship documents on file at the BMV. A 3-step selection criteria further limits the number of voters selected for this annual review.
Non-citizens could be registered and voting for up to a year before any US citizen verification is initiated. Persons who used the last four digits of their social security number to register to vote, in which over 800,000 verification searches 2011-2023 were conducted as reported by Help America Vote Verification (HAVV), may never be verified for citizenship.
Voters identified as non-citizens are asked to provide a proof of citizenship document or self-cancel their voter registration.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires all new voter registrants be verified as US citizens before adding them to Ohio voter rolls. All available resources are searched for US citizenship documents including Social Security Administration and state agencies such as Ohio Job & Family Services. Existing voter registrants are screened for US citizenship weekly. If identified as a non-citizen, proof of citizenship or self-cancellation is required. If they do neither, the voter registration is cancelled. Non-citizens are referred to the prosecuting attorney for investigation.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #25 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Electors with a name and birth date that is not known to be associated with the identity of a genuine person can be added to Ohio’s voter registration database. Identity theft is a critical concern. The FTC reported in 2023 over 34,000 cases of identity theft in Ohio alone. Voter identity theft is not immune to this widespread worldwide problem.
Many reports exist from banks, businesses and government entities in which computer systems are hacked and customer personal information may have been compromised. An ineligible applicant registering to vote other than in-person could be located in another city, state or even country with illegally obtained personal information of an elector. Proof of identity is requested to renew a driver’s license online at the BMV. Why doesn’t Ohio request the same level of proof of identity when a person registers to vote to ensure the person registering to vote is who they say they are?
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires the Secretary of State to prescribe a program to verify the identity of every new voter registration, and updates to a voter registration.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #26 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
The electors of Ohio may not have the ability to require hand counted paper ballots in their county.
In addition to the board of elections and the board of county commissioners requiring hand counted paper ballots, HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act enables hand counted paper ballots in elections of any county by vote of the majority of electors in the county following a petition signed by 2% of the total votes cast in the county for governor in the most recent general election.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #27 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution
Ohio has 88 county voter registration databases that should contain only eligible registered voter records, and an ‘official’ statewide voter registration database maintained by the Secretary of State that should contain the eligible voter records from the combined 88 county databases.
What if county databases contain ineligible voter records?
What if the statewide database doesn’t match the combination of all 88 county databases?
In accordance with Ohio law, the statewide voter registration database is audited once a year by the Secretary of State, which is the same governmental agency that maintains the statewide voter registration database.
Is this a conflict of interest?
The annual audit does not verify county voter registration databases contain only eligible voter records. The audit is considered a success if county voter databases match the statewide voter database even if they both contain ineligible voter records.
HB472 Ohio Votes Count Act requires an independent Auditor of State to conduct an annual audit of the statewide voter registration database and three randomly selected counties. Audits include verifications that voter registration databases contain only eligible voters. Additional audits can be requested by the Secretary of State or the appropriate Board of Elections for a county’s voter registration system that may encompass an entire county or one or more precincts.
Ohio Elections Quick Fact #28 and HB472 Ohio Votes Act Solution