Greene County News
COLUMBUS — Earlier this year, lawmakers passed legislation establishing a safe and convenient statewide system for online voter registration in Ohio, which is set to launch at midnight on Jan. 1, 2017.
Senate Bill 63, co-sponsored by Senator Bob Hackett (R-London), allows Ohioans to register to vote online as part of an extensive effort aimed at expanding voter access and convenience.
“Ohio’s new online voter registration system is a more secure and cost effective way to register voters,” said Hackett. “Electronic registration prevents potential fraud, reduces errors and makes registration more convenient, especially for Ohioans serving in the military.”
Previously, voters could only update their voting address online, not submit new voter registrations. The new system is expected to save the Ohio’s taxpayers millions of dollars in reduced administrative costs associated with processing paper registration forms.
More secure than paper registration alone, the new online system will immediately check a voter’s eligibility prior to accepting the registration. With an automated system, the risk of human error is also significantly reduced. Ohioans will still have the option of registering to vote using the paper form.
Ohio’s secure online system cross-checks the provided voter information with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ internal database to verify citizenship and other required information.
Ohio joins 37 other states authorizing online voter registration systems in recent years. In Arizona, where a secure online system has been in place for more than a decade, not a single incidence of voter fraud or security breaches have occurred as a result of online voter registration.
More information on how to register to vote using Ohio’s new secure and convenient online voter registration system is available at www.MyOhioVote.com.