skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, November 22, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump announces Pam Bondi of FL as new attorney general pick, hours after Matt Gaetz withdraws; House passes bill targeting nonprofits in NY and nation; NM researcher studies why pedestrian and bicyclist deaths are on the rise; Researchers link better outcomes to MN adoption reforms.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump has a new pick for Attorney General, his incoming "border czar" warns local Democratic officials not to impede mass deportation, and the House passes legislation that could target any nonprofit group accused of supporting terrorism.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

Measure Aims to Streamline Absentee Voting in Ohio

play audio
Play

Monday, May 16, 2022   

There's a new effort at the statehouse to make it easier for Ohioans to vote by mail by creating a permanent absentee voter list.

To vote absentee under current law, voters must fill out an absentee-ballot request and send it to the board of election before each election. They will then receive a mail-in ballot that must be returned.

State Rep. Michael Skindell - D-Lakewood - recently introduced House Bill 641. He said the list would streamline the process, which would increase voter participation.

"Instead of having to remember the election and mailing in an application to get a ballot," said Skindell, "you can be placed on a list and the board of election will send you out a ballot application before every election."

According to the Secretary of State's Office, there's been an increasing interest in voting by mail in Ohio. Three and a half million absentee ballots were counted in the 2020 general election compared with 1.8 million in the 2016 general election.

Mia Lewis, associate director of Common Cause Ohio, explained the measure would simply remove some of the small hurdles that make the process of voting by mail challenging for certain voters.

"Somebody may say, 'Well, it's so easy to vote,' but it isn't for everyone," said Lewis. "People have different reasons why they aren't able to get out to the polling place. There may be a physical impairment or traveling for work and they may know that they're going to need that absentee ballot every single time."

Skindell said a voter would be removed from the permanent absentee list if their registration is canceled, or if they submit a written request to be removed. And he expects any possible opposition to center around false notions that it would weaken election security.

"They always throw up instances of possible fraud, which has never been proven, things like that," said Skindell. "But it's a good measure to help increase voter participation."

Five other states have similar measures and six states have a permanent list for absentee ballot applications, instead of the ballot itself. In ten other states, voters with a permanent disability can be put on a list to automatically receive an absentee ballot for each election.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




get more stories like this via email
more stories
The smoking rate among adults in Maryland is 9.6%, much lower than the national average of 12.9%. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A new report on lung cancer by the American Lung Association showed Maryland has quite a bit of room to improve diagnoses and treatment but experts sa…


Social Issues

play sound

La Niña is bringing a cooler, wetter winter to Oregon and likely driving up heating bills as systems work harder. This is the third year of …

Environment

play sound

The number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed on roadways in the U.S. has nearly doubled in the past 12 years and a New Mexico researcher wants to …


Social Issues

play sound

This Saturday is National Adoption Day and the latest findings showed Minnesota has made progress in helping kids in the foster care system secure a b…

Health and Wellness

play sound

By Kyla Russell for WISH-TV.Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service C…

Social Issues

play sound

A recent study from Florida Atlantic University highlights a concerning rise in alcohol-related deaths across the United States, with mortality rates …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021