To: The Ohio State House and The Ohio State Senate
Stop Attacks on Ohio Voter Rights
Ohioans deserve a fair, efficient, and accessible voting system. Don’t push policies that set back voting rights in Ohio. Instead, work in a bipartisan fashion to craft real, forward-thinking, pro-voter reforms.
Why is this important?
Gov. John Kasich and his political allies know what’s at stake in 2012: Ohio could be the state that decides whether Barack Obama wins or loses the election. And SB 5 will be on the ballot. So they will stop at nothing–no matter how brazen or unethical–to stack the deck in their favor.
Recently, Ohio Republicans passed HB 194, a voter suppression bill that cuts down on early voting and makes it harder for Ohio voters to cast their ballots.
Not satisfied with making it more difficult to vote, extreme senators are now saying they will take up a voter ID bill that would disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Ohioans.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer has called HB 159 the “most restrictive” measure of its kind in the country. Adding a photo ID requirement would only serve to further disenfranchise young people, seniors, people of color, people with disabilities and the poor.