Rep. Click recently introduced HB 457, the Citizen Initiated Voter Integrity Act, to ensure greater efficiency and responsiveness in maintaining the accuracy of Ohio’s voter registration rolls.
Currently, when an individual registers to vote at a new address in Ohio, they have the option to complete an “authorization to cancel” form, which allows their county board of elections to merge their previous voter registration into the new registration they are applying for, thus avoiding a scenario where that person could be registered to vote in two places at once.
According to the Secretary of State’s office, however, “Authorization to Cancel” forms are rarely completed by voters. When this occurs, the SoS flags the duplicate registration and notifies the “previous” county and the “new” county of a potential duplicate registration. Once the “new” county confirms with the “previous” county the voter is the same person, the voter’s files are merged into one “new” registration. This process is not instantaneous, however, and duplicates are not always flagged right away.
HB 457 will streamline this process by allowing voters to list their previous address on the voter registration form itself, a much more conspicuous and convenient method. This form will serve as an authorization to cancel, equipping elections officials with an easier way to avoid clutter on the registration rolls and increasing confidence in Ohio’s elections.
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