Fair Elections Ohio Pledges to Fight Any Attempt to "Repeal and Replace" HB194

Will Take Action to Stop End-Run Around Citizen Referendum  

COLUMBUS, OH - Greg Moore, Campaign Director of Fair Elections Ohio, issued the following points at a Press Conference this morning: 

• Fair Elections Ohio supports the call by Secretary of State Husted for the legislature to repeal HB194 but strongly opposes any attempt to re-enact any provisions of HB194 without the people voting first. 
• Our repeal effort has achieved consistent election procedures for Ohioans in 2012, allowing voters to utilize nearly the same rules as were in place in the last presidential election.  
• If the legislature repeals and replaces HB194 with any new voting rules, especially regarding absentee and provisional voting, Ohioans would be voting under different rules in the Primary and General, inevitably leading to greater voter confusion and disenfranchisement.
• For 2012, the time for legislative changes to our voting laws is over, and election officials and Ohio voters deserve to know the rules well in advance to promote access to fair elections. 
• Any attempt to put the provisions of HB194 in place before this year's general election is nothing more than a "sleight of hand" to thwart the state constitutional referendum process and silence the voices of half a million voters who signed the HB194 Citizen Veto petition. 
• Stopping HB194 with a Citizens Veto has already preserved our ability to vote.  Ohioans are currently voting early for the March 6 primary.  If HB194 was in effect, these Ohioans would not be able to exercise the choice to vote early until next week, diminishing access to voting and creating the potential for long lines at the polls, especially in this year's contested Republican Presidential primary election. 
• Fair Elections Ohio's efforts are and will continue to be focused on access to fair elections for every eligible voter, improving participation and protecting the rights of Ohio voters to exercise their constitutional right to a citizens' veto.
• Fair Elections Ohio believes no election laws should change at this time, and HB 194 should remain a question for the voters to decide.
• If the legislature chooses to re-enact the provisions of HB194 before the 2012 election, Fair Elections Ohio and our allies across the state are prepared to collect enough signatures to once again stop this attempt to limit voting in Ohio.
• In 2011, Fair Elections Ohio collected half a million signatures to repeal HB194 at the height of the SB5/Issue 2 battle.  This time, we will not only have our original coalition of faith, civil rights and communty based organizations.  Additionally, we will have the full support and focus of a labor movement fresh off its victory in defeating SB5/issue 2.
• There is an energized base that will act with purpose and intention to protect Ohioans from political maneuvers to prohibit their right to determine by what laws they will be governed, a right reserved to them by our state constitution.

Fair Elections Ohio Statement on Possible 'Repeal and Replace' of HB194 by the Ohio Legislature

"The recent suggestion of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted that the Ohio General Assembly should repeal House Bill 194 has ignited several debates including whether it can actually be done while a referendum on the measure is pending.
 
While Fair Elections Ohio appreciates Secretary Husted's suggestion that HB 194 should be repealed, the apparent result seems to be a desire by some members of the legislature to substitute other changes before the November 2012 general election. This will create more confusion than good.

Fair Elections Ohio urges no changes to Ohio's election laws in 2012, especially between the primary and the general elections. Our repeal effort has achieved consistent election procedures for Ohioans in 2012, allowing voters to utilize nearly the same rules as were in place in the last presidential election. 
 
While the Ohio House and the Senate agreed to previous compromises with the assistance of former Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in 2010, they failed to become law when there was time to implement them.  For 2012, the time for compromise has passed, and election officials and Ohio voters deserve to know the rules well in advance.

Fair Elections Ohio respectfully suggests the best thing for the Secretary to do is to execute his duties to educate the public about the current rules governing elections. The law specifically requires that he "Conduct voter education outlining voter identification, absent voters ballot, provisional ballot, and other voting requirements." (R.C. 3501.05(Z)

Fair Elections Ohio's efforts are and will continue to be focused on increasing voter participation and to protect the rights of every Ohio voter to access and fair elections. For this reason Fair Elections Ohio believes no election laws should change at this time, and HB 194 should remain a question for the voters to decide.

Fair Elections Ohio Statement On SOS Husted Calling For HB194 Repeal

The following statement was issued by Fair Elections Ohio Campaign Director, Greg Moore:

"Fair Elections Ohio welcomes the comments of Secretary of State Jon Husted and legislative leaders in calling for the repeal of HB 194. They join the growing chorus of citizens across the state of Ohio who signed over half a million petitions that successfully placed this issue on the November 2012 ballot. We will support any and all measures that will ensure that HB 194 never becomes the law of the land in Ohio.  

Fair Elections Ohio and our broad based coalition will continue our work to build a strong grassroots statewide campaign that will ensure that HB 194 is defeated at the polls this fall.  We hope the Secretary, the legislature and the Governor will all take this opportunity to expand and not suppress the voting rights of any Ohio voter."

See Related:

Senate President not happy about Husted's call for repeal | The Columbus Dispatch http://bit.ly/wrRgLi

Secretary of State Husted Certifies HB 194 Referendum Petition Signatures

Today it was announced that the repeal of HB194 will officially be on the November 2012 ballot. Secretary of State Jon Husted certified 307,358 valid signatures, over 75,000 more than were needed.

Members of the Fair Elections Ohio coalition celebrated the news. Former Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said, "Fair Elections Ohio is grateful to the diverse coalition of organizations and dedicated individuals who believe in and are willing to do the hard work to guarantee free and fair elections for all Ohioans. We will wage a robust campaign in 2012 that reflects that spirit."

Fair Elections Ohio campaign manager Greg Moore added, "The voters are sending a message to the Ohio politicians and legislatures across the country - voting rights restrictions will not be tolerated

Fair Elections Ohio Delivers 166,148 Additional Petition Signatures for HB194 Referendum

Half A Million Ohioans Signed Petition to Protect Voting Rights 

COLUMBUS - Fair Elections Ohio officially delivered a supplemental referendum petition to the Secretary of State on Tuesday with more than 166,148 additional signatures that all but assures a statewide referendum vote at the 2012 general election on HB 194, called the "Election Reform" bill, legislation that actually makes it harder for Ohioans to vote and to have their votes counted.

The initial petition needed an additional 9,578 signatures after verification by the state's boards of elections of the more than 333,000 signatures filed by Fair Elections Ohio on September 29, 2011. State constitutional provisions allow an extra ten days to circulate for additional signatures to qualify referendum petitions for the ballot. A total of 231,147 valid signatures are needed statewide, with at least 3% of the number of voters who voted in the 2010 gubernatorial election from at least 44 counties. Backers of the referendum already qualified a sufficient number of valid signatures in 52 of the state's 88 counties, surpassing the 44-county requirement.

Campaign Director Greg Moore said, "Today is another important step in the campaign to protect Ohioans' most basic rights to vote and have a voice in their government.  Today's signature delivery shows the strength of the movement and the importance of free and fair elections to the citizens of Ohio.  Fair Elections Ohio's successes are even more impressive taking into account the actions of the Attorney General and Secretary of State to slow down our efforts early on in the petition process.  In only six short weeks and during the height of the SB5 fight, Fair Elections Ohio and our allies collected nearly half a million petition signatures from all 88 counties across Ohio."