Ohio’s SAVE Act Threatens Your Vote
Senate Bill 153 (SB 153 “Ohio’s SAVE Act”) severely restricts our right to vote. Voting holds our government officials accountable for the laws they pass that affect our daily lives, which is why you should pay attention to SB 153, currently before the Ohio Senate General Government Committee.
SB 153 puts up roadblocks that make it extremely difficult for citizens to prove their eligibility to vote and to register to vote. Most people won’t bother to jump through the hoops SB 153 requires, reducing our electorate.
One roadblock is requiring a voter to go to the Board of Elections (BOE) or Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to register to vote in person. You will no longer be able to register to vote online. There will be no voter registration drives by civic groups.
SB 153 requires that Ohio compare information across databases. If there is a mismatch between your name on a driver’s license and your voter registration (for example, “Patricia” vs “Pat,”), you must vote provisionally. This means you must go to the Board of Elections within four days of the election you voted in to prove your identity with proper documentation. If you don’t, your vote doesn’t count. In November 2024, 34,000 provisional ballots were thrown out. That’s a lot of votes.
If you fail to respond, within 14 days of a mailed notice from the state to confirm your registration, you may face prosecution. This is wrong.
Many citizens do not have the means to go in person or have the money needed to obtain the government documents necessary (like a birth certificate) to register to vote and to prove their identity. Consequently, they won’t register to vote or go to the BOE to cure a provisional vote.
With fewer voters, the more our state government can get away with passing laws that hurt us, like defunding public schools through vouchers. Clearly, this bill, with its burdensome procedures, is meant to prevent that accountability and suppress votes.
It is the state government’s job to make it easier for us to vote, not put up roadblocks. To oppose SB 153, contact State Senator Sandra O’Brien (614-466-7182, email: O’Brien@ohiosenate.gov).
For HB 233, the similar bill in the Ohio House, contact State Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur (614-466-1405; email: Rep99@ohiohouse.gov).
Make your voice heard before it’s too late. It makes a difference.
Anne Houdek
Burton Township
Talk, They Listen
Please consider talking with your children this summer on vaping; there is certainly a lot of “positive” chatter on social media.
Not only is it dangerous to vape flavored oils, nicotine and marijuana, you can now add nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to the list.
Harmful metals, high nicotine and THC levels plus addiction worries raise concern for our youth. Children name parents’ disapproval as the number one reason for not using.
Talk, they listen.
Mary-Alice Bell
Prevention Consultant
Parade Balloon
The President is parasitically attaching himself to the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary parade to commemorate his 79th birthday.
This parade needs one “asset,” one “big, beautiful” helium-filled, parade balloon of the President held down by unbreakable cables, manned by Congressional supporters who are unlikely to let go. Better yet, tethered to several Abrams tanks to be prepared for unexpected political winds.
Afterwards, we may recall the 250 years of the US Army’s service to our nation.
Sheldon Firem
Hambden Township
