Draft of Ohio Republicans’ Voter Suppression Bill Leaked

By Ellis Champion

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A draft of new legislation obtained by More Perfect Union reveals Ohio Republicans’ aggressive agenda to suppress the vote after the 2020 election. The draft bill, which comes in at a whopping 151 pages, draws inspiration from some of the worst voter suppression laws in the country, including Georgia’s Senate Bill 202 and Iowa’s Senate File 413. Included in the draft bill are provisions to:

  • Require two forms of ID when voting absentee or early
  • Eliminate drop boxes
  • Limit early voting
  • Ban pre-paid postage on mail-in ballots

Republicans in Ohio had previously announced they were planning to introduce voter suppression legislation in the coming weeks. Until now, the state was one of only three in the country that was not considering new voting restrictions in the legislature this year. Democrats in Ohio have proposed a bill to expand access to ballot drop boxes, but the Republican majority in the state Legislature refuse to put it on the committee schedule. 

Read the draft of Republicans’ new voter suppression bill here.