DeMora Condemns Concurrence of Voter Suppression Bill

Today, state Senator Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) voted not to concur with the House’s changes to Senate Bill 293, a bill that eliminates the grace period for mail-in ballots to be received, as well as makes voter purges more common and more damaging.

“This bullshit bill is somehow even worse than the first time that the Senate passed it,” said DeMora. “Aside from disenfranchising thousands of people every year, now this bill will make it so any mistake on any database will mean you are kicked off the voter rolls. So if a clerk 20 years ago screwed up, too bad. The Republican Party decided you don’t get to exercise your right to vote.”

This legislation would eliminate the grace period that allows absentee ballots postmarked by the day before Election Day to be counted if they arrive in the mail up to four days after Election Day. Ballots would instead need to be delivered to county boards of elections by the time that polls close on Election Day.

The legislation also incorporated parts of Senate Bill 153, which would require boards of elections to kick people off the voting rolls if any information does not match with any other databases, regardless of intent or how long ago the error occurred.

Senate Bill 293 now heads to the governor for his signature.