Tell Gov DeWine to VETO these two awful bills!
Earlier this month, Ohio’s Republican-dominated legislature passed a series of terrible bills before heading out on a long Summer break (must be nice). Two of those bills are now sitting on Governor DeWine’s desk.
The governor is running out of time to make a decision on these two dangerous bills. The people of Ohio need him to VETO (reject) them both.
HB 472
HB 472 started out as a good, bipartisan bill that would waive ID and birth certificate fees for homeless Ohioans. Then, just as it was about to pass, Statehouse Republicans hijacked HB 472 and added language making it incredibly difficult to vote by mail in Ohio.
HB 472 would now require photo ID for all mail-in ballots. Many Ohioans would need to:
Find a scanner/printer
Learn how to use a scanner/printer
Make sure there’s ink in the printer
Potentially pay to scan and print their ID
Trust the mail enough to mail a copy of their photo ID to their county Board of Elections along with their ballot
Risk their unredacted photo ID information falling into the hands of scammers and/or facial recognition companies
This bill will hurt older Ohioans and rural Ohioans the most.
In fact, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio says this bill would “end vote-by-mail as we know it.”
The Ohio Voter Rights Coalition (OVRC) warns that it would also “introduce new identity theft and privacy concerns for voters.” It’s truly just a terrible idea. Read more about HB 472 here and here.
TAKE ACTION — Tell Governor DeWine (and his top staff) to VETO HB 472: https://bit.ly/MikeDeWine
Sample script #1:
Hello — My name is [name]. I am an Ohio voter. My zip code is [zip code].
I [strongly / passionately / sincerely / etc.] urge Governor DeWine to VETO HB 472.
When the governor signed HB 458 in 2023, he said that was the last “election integrity” bill he intended to sign as governor. If his word means anything, he’ll VETO this newest attack on voting rights.
Even Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is against HB 472. He says there will be “unintended consequences” to passing a massive voter bill so quickly. He also says this bill comes with major costs that the legislature failed to consider.
Do the right thing. VETO HB 472.
Sample script #1:
Hello — My name is [name]. I am an Ohio voter. My zip code is [zip code].
I [strongly / passionately / sincerely / etc.] urge Governor DeWine to VETO HB 472.
HB 472 would require photo ID for all mail-in ballots. It would force many Ohioans to find a scanner/printer, learn how to use a scanner/printer, make sure there’s ink in the printer, potentially pay to scan and print their ID, trust the mail enough to mail a copy of their photo ID to their county Board of Elections along with their ballot….and many more completely unnecessary steps.
On top of all that, forcing people to send unredacted copies of their driver’s licenses through the mail would be a dream come true for scammers and facial recognition companies.
This bill will hurt older Ohioans and rural Ohioans more than anyone else.
Ohio already has the most restrictive voter ID law in the country. HB 472 is completely unnecessary. Please VETO it.
SB 219
SB 219 would speed up every step of the process to frack Ohio’s state parks and public lands. Yes, you read that correctly.
This sickening bill:
Allows drilling inside Ohio parks for the first time
Strips ODNR of its ability to regulate injection wells and orphan wells
Prevents the state from fining companies that cause spills or break the rules
TAKE ACTION:
Tell Governor DeWine (and his top staff) to VETO SB 219: https://bit.ly/MikeDeWine
WHAT TO SAY:
Governor DeWine already vetoed these same provisions in last year’s state budget. SB 219 is a sneaky, underhanded attempt to push them through again.
This bill would allow fracking inside Ohio’s state parks and wildlife areas for the first time.
This bill would prevent ODNR from fining oil and gas companies that break the rules or cause environmental damage.
Governor DeWine already vetoed numerous provisions in the bill when they were put into the state budget.
Ohioans are counting on him to protect our parks and veto this bill.
Hopefully Governor DeWine has a shred of decency left after all these years in politics. If he does, he will veto both of these bills.