Below you will find our testimony before the House State and Local Government Committee on June 3rd. We are pleased that many amendments were made to the bill, but know there is more that we can do to ensure a safe and fair election in November.
Faithful voters want clarity and access to the ballot in November, regardless of public health conditions.
Chairman Wiggam, Ranking Member Kelly, and members of the State and Local Government Committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony in opposition to HB 680. My name is Deacon Nick Bates, and I am the director of the Hunger Network in Ohio. The Hunger Network is a faith-based network that believes we can end hunger by addressing the root causes of poverty in Ohio.
As a coalition of Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Congregationalists and many others, we work everyday to show love to our neighbors through food pantries, community meals, clothing closets, and other forms of service and assistance. Instead of HB 680 placing limits on the Secretary of State, we should provide the resources and support for the office to reach out to voters effectively.
Many social ministry organizations not only provide immediate relief for households in need, but connect them to social workers, SNAP and public benefits, and even register them to vote. Churches, for many decades, have offered rides to the polls, host nonpartisan candidate forums, and seek to engage in non-partisan education so that communities know their voting rights, the process, and know where to find credible information. When the chaos surrounding Ohio’s March primary hit, many faith leaders struggled to have clear information to pass along to their community. Barriers and confusion existed around in person voting at early vote centers, accessing printed absentee ballot request forms, and much more. We are supportive of a plan in place now to handle the November election whether it run normally or adapted around public health orders. Instead of HB 680’s provisions we encourage the General Assembly to adapt these four recommendations.
We encourage the Ohio General Assembly to:
1. Allow absentee ballots to be requested online. So much of what we do now is done securely online. Many households do not have printers and with libraries closed for services, it will be harder for many people to print an absentee ballot request application.
2. Mail absentee ballot request forms to all registered voters. Other households will not even have access or feel comfortable requesting an absentee ballot online. We are excited that the House committee amended HB 680 a few moments before this testimony to allow the Secretary of State to mail absentee ballot request forms to voters.
3. Expand early vote centers. If all votes matter, than we should have early vote centers distributed based on the wisdom of of local leaders at the county level to meet the population needs. It doesn’t make sense for Franklin County and Cuyahoga county, with over 1 million people, to have the same number of centers as Ohio’s smallest counties. Traveling across the county is unrealistic for many.
4. Return of ballots should be pre-paid postage. Requiring additional postage attached to absentee ballots presents a barrier to people without postage on hand. My post office in the Hilltop doesn’t even have a postage machine in the lobby. I have waited 20 or 30 minutes in line to be able to purchase a few stamps. V
Voting access is about how we show love to our neighbors. there are few acts more loving than asking somebody for their opinion. If we want to build a world on the value of love of neighbor, we need to make sure all have access to vote this November. Thank you for your time and I will be happy to answer any questions.