Overview
- After a single hearing, a House committee advanced SB 293 with last‑minute additions requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and updates.
- Floor votes in both chambers are expected Wednesday, and the bill could reach the governor as early as Wednesday evening, according to legislative leaders.
- The measure would end Ohio’s four‑day grace period for mailed absentee ballots, requiring delivery by polls closing on Election Day; military voters would not be affected.
- The amendment emphasizes Secretary of State audits to flag non‑citizens and allows prompt cancellations based on those data, with critics warning of errors and lost due process.
- Secretary of State Frank LaRose says the change aims for a clearer deadline, not to address fraud, noting roughly 7,500 civilian ballots arrived after Election Day in 2024, while the DOJ’s Sept. 29 letter and a pending Mississippi case at the Supreme Court are cited as legal drivers.