Ohio voting rights groups urge Gov. DeWine to veto bill nixing absentee ballot grace period

Ohio voting rights advocates are urging Gov. Mike DeWine to veto a voting measure approved just before lawmakers left for the holidays. The bill, Ohio Senate Bill 293, eliminates a grace period for absentee ballots post-marked by Election Day to arrive by mail, which GOP lawmakers have been whittling away in recent years.

Lawmakers also lumped in several provisions targeting noncitizens on the voting rolls. It’s an issue Secretary of State Frank LaRose has repeatedly raised even as he insists on Ohio’s “gold standard” electoral system.

LaRose has flagged hundreds of registrations since taking office. State and county prosecutors have largely dismissed his allegations as meritless. Earlier this month, LaRose tried again and sent those cases to U.S. Department of Justice.

The last-minute changes to S.B. 293 will give much greater weight to LaRose’s regular reviews of the voter rolls.



https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/11/27/ohio-voting-rights-groups-urge-gov-dewine-to-veto-bill-nixing-absentee-ballot-grace-period/