SB 260: Enact the Voter Registration Modernization Act

Section 1.

That sections 3501.01, 3503.09, 3503.10, 3503.11, 3503.14, 3503.15, 3503.153, 3503.16, 3503.19, 3503.20, 3503.23, 3503.28, 3505.181, 3509.02, 3509.03, 3509.04, 3509.08, 3513.041, 3513.05, 3513.07, 3513.18, 3513.19, 3513.191, 3513.257, 3517.012, 3517.013, and 3599.12 be amended and section 3503.071 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

As used in the sections of the Revised Code relating to elections and political communications:

(A) "General election" means the election held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in each November.

(B) "Regular municipal election" means the election held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each odd-numbered year.

(C) "Regular state election" means the election held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each even-numbered year.

(D) "Special election" means any election other than those elections defined in other divisions of this section. A special election may be held only on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May or November, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August in accordance with section 3501.022 of the Revised Code, or on the day authorized by a particular municipal or county charter for the holding of a primary election, except that in any year in which a presidential primary election is held, no special election shall be held in May, except as authorized by a municipal or county charter, but may be held on the third Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

(E) (1) "Primary" or "primary election" means an election held for the purpose of nominating persons as candidates of political parties for election to offices, and for the purpose of electing persons as members of the controlling committees of political parties and as delegates and alternates to the conventions of political parties. Primary elections shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May of each year except in years in which a presidential primary election is held.

(2) "Presidential primary election" means a primary election as defined by division (E) (1) of this section at which an election is held for the purpose of choosing delegates and alternates to the national conventions of the major political parties pursuant to section 3513.12 of the Revised Code. Unless otherwise specified, presidential primary elections are included in references to primary elections. In years in which a presidential primary election is held, all primary elections shall be held on the third Tuesday after the first Monday in March except as otherwise authorized by a municipal or county charter.

(F) "Political party" means any group of voters meeting the requirements set forth in section 3517.01 of the Revised Code for the formation and existence of a political party.

(1) "Major political party" means any political party organized under the laws of this state whose candidate for governor or nominees for presidential electors received not less than twenty per cent of the total vote cast for such office at the most recent regular state election.

(2) "Minor political party" means any political party organized under the laws of this state that meets either of the following requirements:

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this division, the political party's candidate for governor or nominees for presidential electors received less than twenty per cent but not less than three per cent of the total vote cast for such office at the most recent regular state election. A political party that meets the requirements of this division remains a political party for a period of four years after meeting those requirements.

(b) The political party has filed with the secretary of state, subsequent to its failure to meet the requirements of division (F) (2) (a) of this section, a petition that meets the requirements of section 3517.01 of the Revised Code.

A newly formed political party shall be known as a minor political party until the time of the first election for governor or president which occurs not less than twelve months subsequent to the formation of such party, after which election the status of such party shall be determined by the vote for the office of governor or president.

(G) "Dominant party in a precinct" or "dominant political party in a precinct" means that political party whose candidate for election to the office of governor at the most recent regular state election at which a governor was elected received more votes than any other person received for election to that office in such precinct at such election.

(H) "Candidate" means any qualified person certified in accordance with the provisions of the Revised Code for placement on the official ballot of a primary, general, or special election to be held in this state, or any qualified person who claims to be a write-in candidate, or who knowingly assents to being represented as a write-in candidate by another at either a primary, general, or special election to be held in this state.

(I) "Independent candidate" means any candidate who claims is not to be affiliated with a political party, and whose name has been certified on the office-type ballot at a general or special election through the filing of a statement of candidacy and nominating petition, as prescribed in section 3513.257 of the Revised Code.

(J) "Nonpartisan candidate" means any candidate whose name is required, pursuant to section 3505.04 of the Revised Code, to be listed on the nonpartisan ballot, including all candidates for judge of a municipal court, county court, or court of common pleas, for member of any board of education, for municipal or township offices in which primary elections are not held for nominating candidates by political parties, and for offices of municipal corporations having charters that provide for separate ballots for elections for these offices.

(K) "Party candidate" means any candidate who claims to be a member of is affiliated with a political party and who has been certified to appear on the office-type ballot at a general or special election as the nominee of a political party because the candidate has won the primary election of the candidate's party for the public office the candidate seeks, has been nominated under section 3517.012, or is selected by party committee in accordance with section 3513.31 of the Revised Code.

(L) "Officer of a political party" includes, but is not limited to, any member, elected or appointed, of a controlling committee, whether representing the territory of the state, a district therein, a county, township, a city, a ward, a precinct, or other territory, of a major or minor political party.

(M) "Question or issue" means any question or issue certified in accordance with the Revised Code for placement on an official ballot at a general or special election to be held in this state.

(N) "Elector" or "qualified elector" means a person having the qualifications provided by law to be entitled to vote.

(O) "Voter" means an elector who votes at an election.

(P) "Voting residence" means that place of residence of an elector which shall determine the precinct in which the elector may vote.

(Q) "Precinct" means a district within a county established by the board of elections of such county within which all qualified electors having a voting residence therein may vote at the same polling place.

(R) "Polling place" means that place provided for each precinct at which the electors having a voting residence in such precinct may vote.

(S) "Board" or "board of elections" means the board of elections appointed in a county pursuant to section 3501.06 of the Revised Code.

(T) "Political subdivision" means a county, township, city, village, or school district.

(U) "Election officer" or "election official" means any of the following:

(1) Secretary of state;

(2) Employees of the secretary of state serving the division of elections in the capacity of attorney, administrative officer, administrative assistant, elections administrator, office manager, or clerical supervisor;

(3) Director of a board of elections;

(4) Deputy director of a board of elections;

(5) Member of a board of elections;

(6) Employees of a board of elections;

(7) Precinct election officials;

(8) Employees appointed by the boards of elections on a temporary or part-time basis.

(V) "Acknowledgment notice" means a notice sent by a board of elections, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, informing a voter registration applicant or an applicant who wishes to change the applicant's residence or name of the status of the application; the information necessary to complete or update the application, if any; and if the application is complete, the precinct in which the applicant is to vote.

(W) "Confirmation notice" means a notice sent by a board of elections, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, to a registered elector to confirm the registered elector's current address.

(X) "Designated agency" means an office or agency in the state that provides public assistance or that provides state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities and that is required by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to implement a program designed and administered by the secretary of state for registering voters, or any other public or government office or agency that implements a program designed and administered by the secretary of state for registering voters, including the department of job and family services, the program administered under section 3701.132 of the Revised Code by the department of health, the department of mental health and addiction services, the department of developmental disabilities, the opportunities for Ohioans with disabilities agency, and any other agency the secretary of state designates. "Designated agency" does not include public high schools and vocational schools, public libraries, or the office of a county treasurer.

(Y) "National Voter Registration Act of 1993" means the "National Voter Registration Act of 1993," 107 Stat. 77, 42 U.S.C.A. 1973 gg.

(Z) "Voting Rights Act of 1965" means the "Voting Rights Act of 1965," 79 Stat. 437, 42 U.S.C.A. 1973, as amended.

(AA) (1) "Photo identification" means one of the following documents that includes the individual's name and photograph and is not expired:

(a) An Ohio driver's license, state identification card, or interim identification form issued by the registrar of motor vehicles or a deputy registrar under Chapter 4506. or 4507. of the Revised Code;

(b) A United States passport or passport card;

(c) A United States military identification card, Ohio national guard identification card, or United States department of veterans affairs identification card.

(2) A "copy" of an individual's photo identification means images of both the front and back of a document described in division (AA) (1) of this section, except that if the document is a United States passport, a copy of the photo identification means an image of the passport's identification page that includes the individual's name, photograph, and other identifying information and the passport's expiration date.

(BB) "Driver's license" means a license or permit issued by the registrar or a deputy registrar under Chapter 4506. or 4507. of the Revised Code that authorizes an individual to drive. "Driver's license" includes a driver's license, commercial driver's license, probationary license, restricted license, motorcycle operator's license, or temporary instruction permit identification card. "Driver's license" does not include a limited term license issued under section 4506.14 or 4507.09 of the Revised Code.

(CC) "State identification card" means a card issued by the registrar or a deputy registrar under sections 4507.50 to 4507.52 of the Revised Code.

(DD) "Interim identification form" means the document issued by the registrar or a deputy registrar to an applicant for a driver's license or state identification card that contains all of the information otherwise found on the license or card and that an applicant may use as a form of identification until the physical license or card arrives in the mail.

(A) (1) An elector's political party affiliation shall be determined based on the most recent of the following:

(a) The elector's affiliation with a currently recognized political party or the elector's unaffiliated status, as indicated on the elector's most recent voter registration application or voter registration update form as processed under divisions (B) (2) and (3) of this section;

(b) The ballot the elector most recently cast at a primary election in this state held on or after May 3, 2022. If the elector cast the ballot of a currently recognized political party, the elector is affiliated with that party. If the elector cast an issues-only ballot, the elector is unaffiliated.

(2) If an elector has not indicated an affiliation with a currently recognized political party on a voter registration application or voter registration update form and has not cast the ballot of a currently recognized political party at a primary election in this state held on or after May 3, 2022, the elector is unaffiliated.

(B) (1) Each voter registration application and voter registration update form prescribed by the secretary of state shall include all of the following:

(a) A list of the political parties that are recognized in this state, accompanied by boxes for the applicant to check to select a party with which the applicant wishes to be affiliated;

(b) A space for the applicant to write the name of a recognized political party that is not listed on the form, if the applicant wishes to be affiliated with that party;

(c) A box for the applicant to check to indicate that the applicant does not wish to be affiliated with any political party;

(d) A notice that the applicant may select or write the name of only one recognized political party and that the applicant is not required to select a political party.

(2) An applicant who submits a voter registration application or update form shall be considered unaffiliated if either of the following apply:

(a) The applicant indicates on the application or form that the applicant does not wish to be affiliated with any political party.

(b) The applicant is not currently affiliated with a political party, does not select or write the name of a recognized political party, and does not indicate that the applicant does not wish to be affiliated with any political party.

(3) An applicant who submits a voter registration update form shall remain affiliated with the applicant's current political party if the applicant currently is affiliated with a political party, does not select or write the name of a recognized political party, and does not indicate that the applicant does not wish to be affiliated with any political party.

(A) (1) The secretary of state shall adopt rules for the electronic transmission by boards of elections, designated agencies, public high schools and vocational schools, public libraries, and offices of county treasurers, where applicable, of name and residence changes for voter registration records in the statewide voter registration database update forms.

(2) The secretary of state shall adopt rules for the purpose of improving the speed of processing new voter registrations that permit information from a voter registration application received by a designated agency to be made available electronically, in addition to requiring the original voter registration application to be transmitted to the applicable board of elections under division (E) (2) of section 3503.10 of the Revised Code.

(B) Rules adopted under division (A) of this section shall do all of the following:

(1) Prohibit any direct electronic connection between a designated agency, public high school or vocational school, public library, or office of a county treasurer and the statewide voter registration database;

(2) Require any updated voter registration information to be verified by the secretary of state or a board of elections before the information is added to the statewide voter registration database for the purpose of modifying an existing voter registration;

(3) Require each designated agency that transmits voter registration information electronically to transmit an identifier for data relating to each new voter registration that shall be used by the secretary of state or a board of elections to match the electronic data to the original voter registration application.

(A) Each designated agency shall designate one person within that agency to serve as coordinator for the voter registration program within the agency and its departments, divisions, and programs. The designated person shall be trained under a program designed by the secretary of state and shall be responsible for administering all aspects of the voter registration program for that agency as prescribed by the secretary of state. The designated person shall receive no additional compensation for performing such duties.

(B) Every designated agency, public high school and vocational school, public library, and office of a county treasurer shall provide in each of its offices or locations voter registration applications and assistance in the registration of persons qualified to register to vote, in accordance with this chapter.

(C) Every designated agency shall distribute to its applicants, prior to or in conjunction with distributing a voter registration application, a form prescribed by the secretary of state that includes all of the following:

(1) The question, "Do you want to register to vote or update your current voter registration?"--followed by boxes for the applicant to indicate whether the applicant would like to register or decline to register to vote, and the statement, highlighted in bold print, "If you do not check either box, you will be considered to have decided not to register to vote at this time.";

(2) If the agency provides public assistance, the statement, "Applying to register or declining to register to vote will not affect the amount of assistance that you will be provided by this agency.";

(3) The statement, "If you would like help in filling out the voter registration application form, we will help you. The decision whether to seek or accept help is yours. You may fill out the application form in private.";

(4) The statement, "If you believe that someone has interfered with your right to register or to decline to register to vote, your right to privacy in deciding whether to register or in applying to register to vote, or your right to choose your own political party or other political preference, you may file a complaint with the prosecuting attorney of your county or with the secretary of state," with the address and telephone number for each such official's office.

(D) Each designated agency shall distribute a voter registration form prescribed by the secretary of state to each applicant with each application for service or assistance, and with each written application or form for recertification, renewal, or change of address.

(E) Each designated agency shall do all of the following:

(1) Have employees trained to administer the voter registration program in order to provide to each applicant who wishes to register to vote and who accepts assistance, the same degree of assistance with regard to completion of the voter registration application as is provided by the agency with regard to the completion of its own form;

(2) Accept completed voter registration applications, and voter registration change of residence forms, and voter registration change of name update forms, regardless of whether the application or form was distributed by the designated agency, for transmittal to the office of the board of elections in the county in which the agency is located. Each designated agency and the appropriate board of elections shall establish a method by which the voter registration applications and other voter registration forms are transmitted to that board of elections within five days after being accepted by the agency.

(3) If the designated agency is one that is primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities under a state-funded program, and that agency provides services to a person with disabilities at a person's home, provide the services described in divisions (E)(1) and (2) of this section at the person's home;

(4) Keep as confidential, except as required by the secretary of state for record-keeping purposes, the identity of an agency through which a person registered to vote or updated the person's voter registration records, and information relating to a declination to register to vote made in connection with a voter registration application issued by a designated agency.

(F) The secretary of state shall prepare and transmit written instructions on the implementation of the voter registration program within each designated agency, public high school and vocational school, public library, and office of a county treasurer. The instructions shall include directions as follows:

(1) That each person designated to assist with voter registration maintain strict neutrality with respect to a person's political philosophies, a person's right to register or decline to register, and any other matter that may influence a person's decision to register or not register to vote;

(2) That each person designated to assist with voter registration not seek to influence a person's decision to register or not register to vote, not display or demonstrate any political preference or party allegiance, and not make any statement to a person or take any action the purpose or effect of which is to lead a person to believe that a decision to register or not register has any bearing on the availability of services or benefits offered, on the grade in a particular class in school, or on credit for a particular class in school;

(3) Regarding when and how to assist a person in completing the voter registration application, what to do with the completed voter registration application or voter registration update form, and when the application must be transmitted to the appropriate board of elections;

(4) Regarding what records must be kept by the agency and where and when those records should be transmitted to satisfy reporting requirements imposed on the secretary of state under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993;

(5) Regarding whom to contact to obtain answers to questions about voter registration forms and procedures.

(G) If the voter registration activity is part of an in-class voter registration program in a public high school or vocational school, whether prescribed by the secretary of state or independent of the secretary of state, the board of education shall do all of the following:

(1) Establish a schedule of school days and hours during these days when the person designated to assist with voter registration shall provide voter registration assistance;

(2) Designate a person to assist with voter registration from the public high school's or vocational school's staff;

(3) Make voter registration applications and materials available, as outlined in the voter registration program established by the secretary of state pursuant to section 3501.05 of the Revised Code;

(4) Distribute the statement, "applying to register or declining to register to vote, or registering as affiliated with a particular political party or registering to vote and remaining unaffiliated, will not affect or be a condition of your receiving a particular grade in or credit for a school course or class, participating in a curricular or extracurricular activity, receiving a benefit or privilege, or participating in a program or activity otherwise available to pupils enrolled in this school district's schools.";

(5) Establish a method by which the voter registration application and other voter registration forms are transmitted to the board of elections within five days after being accepted by the public high school or vocational school.

(H) Any person employed by the designated agency, public high school or vocational school, public library, or office of a county treasurer may be designated to assist with voter registration pursuant to this section. The designated agency, public high school or vocational school, public library, or office of a county treasurer shall provide the designated person, and make available such space as may be necessary, without charge to the county or state.

(I) The secretary of state shall prepare and cause to be displayed in a prominent location in each designated agency a notice that identifies the person designated to assist with voter registration, the nature of that person's duties, and where and when that person is available for assisting in the registration of voters.

A designated agency may furnish additional supplies and services to disseminate information to increase public awareness of the existence of a person designated to assist with voter registration in every designated agency.

(J) This section does not limit any authority a board of education, superintendent, or principal has to allow, sponsor, or promote voluntary election registration programs within a high school or vocational school, including programs in which pupils serve as persons designated to assist with voter registration, provided that no pupil is required to participate.

(K) Each public library and office of the county treasurer shall establish a method by which voter registration forms are transmitted to the board of elections within five days after being accepted by the public library or office of the county treasurer.

(L) The department of job and family services and its departments, divisions, and programs shall limit administration of the aspects of the voter registration program for the department to the requirements prescribed by the secretary of state and the requirements of this section and the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.

(A) (1) When any person applies for a driver's license, commercial driver's license, a state of Ohio identification card issued under section 4507.50 of the Revised Code, or motorcycle operator's license or endorsement, or the renewal or duplicate of any license or endorsement under Chapter 4506. or 4507. of the Revised Code, and the person presents proof of United States citizenship to the registrar of motor vehicles or the deputy registrar or has previously presented proof of United States citizenship to the registrar or any deputy registrar, the registrar or deputy registrar shall offer the applicant the opportunity to register to vote or to update the applicant's voter registration by electronic means in conjunction with the person's transaction with the registrar or deputy registrar, in a manner prescribed by the secretary of state.

(2) When any person submits a notice of change of address to the registrar under division (C) of section 4507.09 of the Revised Code, the registrar shall offer the applicant the opportunity to submit a notice of change of address for voter registration purposes update form by electronic means in conjunction with the person's transaction with the registrar, in a manner prescribed by the secretary of state.

(3) When a person registers to vote or updates the person's voter registration under division (A) (1) or (2) of this section, the registrar or deputy registrar shall electronically transmit the person's signature that is on file with the bureau of motor vehicles with the electronic record of the voter registration or update, and that signature shall be considered the person's signature on the voter registration or update and for all other election and signature-matching purposes.

(B) Within twenty-four hours after a person registers to vote or updates the person's voter registration under division (A) of this section, the registrar or deputy registrar shall transmit the electronic record of the voter registration or update to the secretary of state by electronic means in a manner prescribed by the secretary of state by rule. Rules adopted under this division shall do all of the following:

(1) Prohibit any direct electronic connection between the office of the registrar or a deputy registrar and the statewide voter registration database;

(2) Require any voter registration information to be verified by the secretary of state or a board of elections before the information is added to the statewide voter registration database;

(3) Require the registrar or deputy registrar to electronically date stamp each electronic record in a manner that does not disclose the identity of the office that receives the voter registration or update.

(C) (1) The registrar of motor vehicles and each deputy registrar also shall make available to all other customers paper voter registration applications and update forms, but are not required to offer assistance to customers in completing those forms. The bureau of motor vehicles shall supply all of its deputy registrars with a sufficient number of voter registration applications and update forms.

(2) Within five days after a person submits a completed paper voter registration application or update form to the registrar or a deputy registrar, the registrar or deputy registrar shall send the form to the board of elections of the county in which the office of the registrar or deputy registrar is located.

(D) The registrar shall collect from each deputy registrar through the reports filed under division (J) of section 4503.03 of the Revised Code and transmit to the secretary of state information on the number of voter registration applications and forms completed or declined, and any additional information required by the secretary of state to comply with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. No information relating to an applicant's decision to decline to register or update the applicant's voter registration at the office of the registrar or deputy registrar may be used for any purpose other than voter registration record-keeping required by the secretary of state, and all such information shall be kept confidential.

(A) (1) The secretary of state shall prescribe the form and content of the voter registration, and forms used in this state. The forms shall meet the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and shall include spaces for all of the following:

(a) The voter's name;

(b) The voter's address;

(c) The current date;

(d) The voter's date of birth;

(e) The voter to provide at least one of the following forms of identification:

(i) The voter's Ohio driver's license or state identification card number;

(ii) The last four digits of the voter's social security number.

(f) The voter's signature.

(2) The form shall include the political party affiliation fields and notice described in division (B) (1) of section 3503.071 of the Revised Code.

(3) The registration form shall include a space on which the person registering an applicant shall sign the person's name and provide the person's address and a space on which the person registering an applicant shall name the employer who is employing that person to register the applicant.

(4) The forms shall include a box for the person filling out the form to check to indicate, if applicable, that the person has filled out all or part of the form on behalf of the applicant because the applicant declares that the applicant requires such assistance by reason of blindness, disability, or illiteracy.

(5) Except for forms prescribed by the secretary of state under section 3503.11 of the Revised Code, the secretary of state shall permit boards of elections to produce forms that have subdivided spaces for each individual alphanumeric character of the information provided by the voter so as to accommodate the electronic reading and conversion of the voter's information to data and the subsequent electronic transfer of that data to the statewide voter registration database established under section 3503.15 of the Revised Code.

(B) None of the following persons who are registering an applicant in the course of that official's or employee's normal duties shall sign the person's name, provide the person's address, or name the employer who is employing the person to register an applicant on a form prepared under this section:

(1) An election official;

(2) A county treasurer;

(3) A deputy registrar of motor vehicles;

(4) An employee of a designated agency;

(5) An employee of a public high school;

(6) An employee of a public vocational school;

(7) An employee of a public library;

(8) An employee of the office of a county treasurer;

(9) An employee of the bureau of motor vehicles;

(10) An employee of a deputy registrar of motor vehicles;

(11) An employee of an election official.

(C) Except as provided in section 3501.382 of the Revised Code, any applicant who is unable to sign the applicant's own name shall make an "X," if possible, which shall be certified by the signing of the name of the applicant by the person filling out the form, who shall add the person's own signature. If an applicant is unable to make an "X," the applicant shall indicate in some manner that the applicant desires to register to vote or to change update the applicant's name or residencevoter registration. The person registering the applicant shall sign the form and attest that the applicant indicated that the applicant desired to register to vote or to change update the applicant's name or residencevoter registration.

(D) No registration, change of residence, or change of-name update form shall be rejected solely on the basis that a person registering an applicant failed to sign the person's name or failed to name the employer who is employing that person to register the applicant as required under division (A) of this section.

(E) A voter registration application or voter registration update form submitted electronically through the registrar of motor vehicles or a deputy registrar pursuant to section 3503.11 or submitted online through the internet pursuant to section 3503.20 of the Revised Code is not required to contain a signature to be considered valid. The signature obtained under division (A) (3) of section 3503.11 or under division (B) of section 3503.20 of the Revised Code, as applicable, shall be considered the applicant's signature for all election and signature-matching purposes.

(F) (1) Except as otherwise provided in division (C) of this section and in sections 3501.382 and 3505.24 of the Revised Code, no person shall preprint or fill out any portion of a voter registration, change of residence, or change of name-update form on behalf of an applicant.

(2) A completed voter registration, or change of name-update form is not valid if any portion of it has been completed by any person other than the applicant in violation of division (F)(1) of this section.

(G) As used in this section, "registering an applicant" includes any effort, for compensation, to provide voter registration or voter registration update forms or to assist persons in completing or returning those forms.

(A) The secretary of state shall establish and maintain a statewide voter registration database that shall be administered by the office of data analytics and archives in the office of the secretary of state and made continuously available to each board of elections and to other agencies as authorized by law.

The statewide voter registration database shall be the official list of registered electors for all elections conducted in this state.

(B) The statewide voter registration database shall, at a minimum, include all of the following:

(1) An electronic network that connects all board of elections offices with the office of the secretary of state and with the offices of all other boards of elections;

(2) A computer program that harmonizes the records contained in the database with records maintained by each board of elections;

(3) An interactive computer program that allows access to the records contained in the database by each board of elections and by any persons authorized by the secretary of state to add, delete, modify, or print database records, and to conduct updates of the database;

(4) A search program capable of verifying registered electors and their registration information by name, driver's license or state identification card number, birth date, social security number, or current address;

(5) Safeguards and components to ensure that the integrity, security, and confidentiality of the voter registration information is maintained;

(6) Methods to retain canceled voter registration records for not less than five years after they are canceled and to record the reason for their cancellation.

(C) For each registered elector, the statewide voter registration database shall include all of the following information:

(1) The elector's name;

(2) The elector's birth date;

(3) The elector's current residence address;

(4) The elector's precinct number;

(5) The elector's Ohio driver's license or state identification card number, if available;

(6) The last four digits of the elector's social security number, if available;

(7) The elector's telephone number, if available;

(8) The elector's electronic mail address, if available;

(9) (a) The elector's voter registration date, which shall be determined based on the elector's most recent application to register to vote in this state, subject to division (C) (9) (b) of this section, as follows:

(i) In the case of an application delivered in person to a state or local office of a designated agency, the office of the registrar or any deputy registrar of motor vehicles, a public high school or vocational school, a public library, or the office of a county treasurer, the date stamped on the application upon receipt by the entity that transmits the application to the board of elections or the secretary of state;

(ii) In the case of an application delivered in person to a board of elections or the secretary of state, the date stamped on the application upon receipt by the board of elections or the secretary of state, as applicable;

(iii) In the case of an application delivered by mail to a board of elections or the secretary of state, the date the application is postmarked;

(iv) In the case of an application submitted through the online voter registration system established under section 3503.20 of the Revised Code, the date of the online submission;

(v) In the case of an application submitted to a board of elections by facsimile transmission or electronic mail under Chapter 3511. of the Revised Code, the date of the receipt of the transmission or electronic mail by the board of elections;

(vi) In the case of a provisional ballot affirmation that serves as an application to register to vote in future elections because the individual who cast the ballot is not registered to vote, the date the board of elections determines that the provisional ballot is invalid under section 3505.183 of the Revised Code.

(b) For purposes of determining an elector's voter registration date under division (C) (9) (a) of this section, all of the following apply:

(i) An elector's voter registration date shall not be during the period beginning on the day after the close of voter registration before an election and ending on the day of the election. If the date determined under division (C) (9) (a) of this section would be during that period, the voter registration date instead shall be the date on which the board of elections processes the application to register to vote after the day of the election.

(ii) A change of address or change of name voter registration update form, including a provisional ballot affirmation that serves as a change of address or change of name voter registration update form, is not considered an application to register to vote.

(iii) An application to register to vote that is submitted by an individual who is already registered to vote in this state is not considered an application to register to vote.

(10) The elector's political party affiliation, if any, as determined under section 3503.071 of the Revised Code;

(11) The elector's voting history, including all of the following, for each election in which the elector cast a ballot that was counted:

(a) The date of the election;

(b) If the election was a primary election, the political party whose ballot the elector cast at the primary election or an indication that the elector voted only on the questions and issues appearing on the ballot at a special election held on the day of the primary election;

(e) The and the type of ballot the elector cast.

(11) (12) The elector's last activity date, which shall be determined in accordance with rules adopted by the secretary of state pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

(12) (13) Any other information the secretary of state requires to be included by rule adopted pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

(D) Every day during the period beginning on the forty-sixth day before an election and ending on the eighty-first day after the day of the election, a board of elections shall create a daily record of its voter registration database as of four p.m. and shall transmit the daily record to the secretary of state in a secure manner prescribed by the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall archive the daily record and retain it for at least twenty-two months after the day of the election.

(E) The secretary of state shall adopt rules pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to implement this section and sections 3503.151 to 3503.153 of the Revised Code, including rules doing all of the following:

(1) Specifying the manner in which any voter registration records maintained by boards of elections in other data formats shall be converted for inclusion in the statewide voter registration database;

(2) Establishing a uniform method for entering voter registration records into the statewide voter registration database on an expedited basis, but not less than once per day, if new registration information is received, and for transmitting information securely to the secretary of state;

(3) Establishing a uniform method for purging canceled voter registration records from the statewide voter registration database in accordance with section 3503.21 of the Revised Code;

(4) Specifying the persons authorized to add, delete, modify, or print records contained in the statewide voter registration database and to make updates of that database;

(5) Establishing a process for annually auditing the information contained in the statewide voter registration database.

(F) A board of elections promptly shall purge a voter's name and voter registration information from the statewide voter registration database in accordance with the rules adopted by the secretary of state under division (E) (3) of this section after the cancellation of a voter's registration under section 3503.21 of the Revised Code.

(G) The secretary of state shall provide training in the operation of the statewide voter registration database to each board of elections and to any persons authorized by the secretary of state to add, delete, modify, or print database records, and to conduct updates of the database.

(H) A board of elections and any vendor with which it contracts to provide voter registration software or related services shall ensure that the board's voter registration system and practices comply with the requirements of this section and any rules adopted under this section.

(A) The statewide voter registration database shall be made available on a web site of the office of the secretary of state as follows:

(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A) (2) of this section, the following information from the statewide voter registration database regarding a registered elector shall be made available on the web site:

(a) The elector's name;

(b) The elector's birth date;

(c) The elector's current residence address;

(d) The elector's precinct number;

(e) The elector's voter registration date, as described in division (C) (9) of section 3503.15 of the Revised Code;

(f) The elector's voting history, as described in division (C) (10) (C) (11) of section 3503.15 of the Revised Code;

(g) The elector's last activity date, as described in division (C) (11) (C) (12) of section 3503.15 of the Revised Code.

(2) During the thirty days before the day of a primary or general election, the web site interface of the statewide voter registration database shall permit an elector to search for the polling location at which that elector may cast a ballot.

(3) No information in the statewide voter registration database that is exempt from disclosure under division (A) (2) of section 3503.13 of the Revised Code shall be made available on the web site.

(B) (1) The secretary of state shall establish, by rule adopted under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, a process for boards of elections to notify the secretary of state of changes in the locations of precinct polling places for the purpose of updating the information made available on the secretary of state's web site under division (A) (2) of this section. Those rules shall require a board of elections, during the thirty days before the day of a primary or general election, to notify the secretary of state within one business day of any change to the location of a precinct polling place within the county.

(2) During the thirty days before the day of a primary or general election, not later than one business day after receiving a notification from a county pursuant to division (B) (1) of this section that the location of a precinct polling place has changed, the secretary of state shall update that information on the secretary of state's web site for the purpose of division (A) (2) of this section.

(A) Except as otherwise provided in division (E) of section 111.44 of the Revised Code, whenever (A) (1) Whenever a registered elector changes the place of residence of that registered elector from one precinct to another within-a-county or from one county to another this state, or has a change of name, that registered elector shall report the change by delivering a change of residence or change of name-form, whichever is appropriate, as prescribed by the secretary of-state under section 3503.14 of the Revised Code to the state or-local office of a designated agency, a public high school or-vocational school, a public library, the office of the county-treasurer, the office of the secretary of state, any office of-the registrar or deputy registrar of motor vehicles, or any-office of a board of elections in person or by a third person.- Any voter registration, change of address, or change of name-application, returned by mail, may be sent only to the secretary of state or the board of elections.

A registered elector also may update the registration of-that registered elector by filing a change of residence or-change of name form on the day of a special, primary, or general election at the polling place in the precinct in which that registered elector resides or at the board of elections or at another site designated by the board.

Election of the Polling Place in the Precinct in Which That Registered Elector Resides or at the Board of Elections or at Another Site Designated by the Board

Decree of the Methods

Decree 3503.19 of the Revised Code

Decree 886 of the Third Party

Decree 887 of the Third Party

Decree 888 of the Third Party

(2) (A) (B) (1)

(B) (1)

(a) (b)

(B) (1)

(a) (b)

(B) (1)

(a) (b)

(B) (1)

(a) (b)

(B) (1)

(a) (b)

(a) (b)

(a) (b)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)

(a) (a)