Clyde attends national Automatic Voter Registration convening at NYU

State Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) joined former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and other elected officials and advocates for the Brennan Center at NYU’s “Automatic Voter Registration: Why and How” convening in New York earlier this week. The event detailed automatic registration efforts across the country and how these efforts are welcoming millions of Americans to the ballot box. 

“Five states, including our neighbors in West Virginia, have already implemented automatic voter registration—with bipartisan support,” said Clyde. “My bill, House Bill 181, would add nearly one million eligible voters to the rolls by simply doing the things they do every day, like getting a drivers’ license, applying for veteran’s benefits or graduating from high school. Automatic registration is a common-sense solution that makes the first step to the ballot box much easier for all Ohioans.”

House Bill 181 (HB 181) would automatically register to vote all Ohioans with a driver’s license or state ID, those interacting with Jobs and Family Services offices and other agencies designated by the federal Motor Voter law as well as all graduating high school seniors in the state. The bill allows every person 21 days to opt out of registration either in person or by mail and would open online registration to all eligible voters, not just those with a photo ID. The bill would ensure compliance with the federal Motor Voter law, add nearly one million voters to the rolls and update the records for many Ohioans.

Rep. Clyde introduced HB 181 last May. It has not received any hearings in the House.