On the heels of the 2024 primary election in Ohio, All Voting is Local Ohio has released The State of Provisional Ballots in Ohio Post HB 458. For the report, All Voting focused on provisional ballot rejection rates over the last several years in order to analyze the impact of House Bill 458, a bill that included a component that limits the number of acceptable IDs usable on Election Day. The report ultimately found that “there has been a substantial increase in provisional ballots being rejected due to voters failing to provide identification… In the November 2023 election alone, the percentage of provisional ballots rejected due to lack of identification jumped up to 28.4%. This is over 20 points higher than the year prior.”
“The data is clear: regressive ID laws negatively impact voters from all over the state and prevent their voices from being heard,” said All Voting is Local Ohio State Director Kayla Griffin. “Prior to the passing of HB 458, which has been dubbed one of the strictest voter ID laws in the nation, our elections were touted as being safe and secure, even by our Secretary of State Frank LaRose. This proves that not only did we not need a stricter voter ID law, but the one that passed has only created barriers to the ballot for Ohio voters.”
The fact sheet can be read here.
Background:
On January 6, 2023, Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB 458 into law. The bill has severely restricted voting options for Ohioans by limiting the types of IDs being allowed to vote with, shortening deadlines for requesting and returning mail-in ballots, restricting access to ballot drop boxes, eliminating the day before Election Day for early voting, and more.
After HB 458 was signed into law, voters are now required to use a state-issued driver’s license or state ID, U.S. passport, or military ID. Many other forms of identification that were once acceptable, such as bank statements and utility bills, are now banned from being utilized to prove voter identity while voting.
For more information on voter ID access and voter ID-related barriers to the ballot, check out the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement’s report: Who Lacks ID in America Today? An Exploration of Voter ID Access, Barriers, and Knowledge.
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All Voting is Local (All Voting) is a 501(c)(3), nonpartisan, multi-state organization that fights against state and local voting policies that silence Americans’ voices, particularly for Black, Brown, Native American, and other historically marginalized communities — not just in election years, but every year. We were founded on the principle that the problems people face when trying to vote are solvable if state and local decision-makers are accountable to the communities they serve. All Voting is committed to working with our partners to advance fair, inclusive rules on voter registration, remove barriers that make it more difficult for people to vote, and ensure every vote counts. All Voting is on the ground in eight states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Within these states, we are active in more than 60 counties that are home to over 21 million people of color. During the 2022 cycle, All Voting programs expanded access for more than 635,000 voters. Learn more at www.AllVotingisLocal.org
