#yourlocalelectionheadquarters — Public Fediverse posts

[Watch previous FOX 8 News coverage in the player above.]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) -- Ohio's new official digital ID is good for checking out at the store or checking in for a flight, but not for checking off your ballot.

Ohio Mobile ID now lets Apple iPhone users add their state driver's license or ID cards to their Apple Wallet, and use the age verification tool at businesses or airport checkpoints.

But it's not a valid identification for in-person voting, since it's not included in state law, the Secretary of State's office confirmed.

Ohio IDs are free to obtain from the BMV. Here's how.

What form of ID do I need to vote?

Per Ohio law, the only acceptable forms of ID are physical versions of:

• An Ohio driver's license, state ID card or interim ID given by the BMV
• A U.S. passport or passport card
• A U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID or a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID

The photo ID must have the voter's photograph and name -- as it appears in the pollbook -- and must not be expired. The address on the ID doesn't have to be current, so long as the address on the pollbook is current.

What types of ID are unacceptable?

• Driver's license or photo ID issued by another state
• Social Security card
• Birth certificate
• Insurance card
• Utility bill
• Bank statement
• Government check
• Paycheck
• Other government documents
• Voter registration acknowledgements from a county board of elections

What if I don't have any of those?

You can still cast a provisional ballot, but in order for your vote to be counted, you must bring a form of ID back to the county elections board no later than four days after Election Day.

[Watch previous FOX 8 News coverage in the player above.]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) -- Ohio's new official digital ID is good for checking out at the store or checking in for a flight, but not for checking off your ballot.

Ohio Mobile ID now lets Apple iPhone users add their state driver's license or ID cards to their Apple Wallet, and use the age verification tool at businesses or airport checkpoints.

But it's not a valid identification for in-person voting, since it's not included in state law, the Secretary of State's office confirmed.

Ohio IDs are free to obtain from the BMV. Here's how.

What form of ID do I need to vote?

Per Ohio law, the only acceptable forms of ID are physical versions of:

• An Ohio driver's license, state ID card or interim ID given by the BMV
• A U.S. passport or passport card
• A U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID or a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID

The photo ID must have the voter's photograph and name -- as it appears in the pollbook -- and must not be expired. The address on the ID doesn't have to be current, so long as the address on the pollbook is current.

What types of ID are unacceptable?

• Driver's license or photo ID issued by another state
• Social Security card
• Birth certificate
• Insurance card
• Utility bill
• Bank statement
• Government check
• Paycheck
• Other government documents
• Voter registration acknowledgements from a county board of elections

What if I don't have any of those?

You can still cast a provisional ballot, but in order for your vote to be counted, you must bring a form of ID back to the county elections board no later than four days after Election Day.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio voters will start heading to the polls in 40 days for early voting and Election Day is now only 68 days away, which means campaigns are ramping up to be full speed ahead after Labor Day.

There is only one state issue on the ballot this fall, called Issue 1, brought forward by Citizens Not Politicians. Some Ohioans are hitting the streets to help make sure every voter knows about it.

“Hi there, we’re volunteers with Citizens Not Politicians,” Issue 1 volunteer Michael Ahern said to a voter. “Your signature worked, we got enough signatures. It is going to be on the ballot in November.”

Ahern said despite reform being passed in both 2015 and 2018, these past several years, watching the redistricting commission has been “frustrating.”

“When you have politicians that are involved in creating those district lines and then manipulating them for party purposes, then that undermines democracy,” he said.

Right now, the Ohio Redistricting Commission is made up of seven elected officials. The make-up changes depending on who is elected to certain offices, but there are currently five Republicans and two Democrats on it. The last set of maps they passed were unanimous.

Issue 1 aims to take politicians out of the map redistricting process, and instead create a 15-person commission with five Democrats, five Republicans and five independent voters.

“This initiative prevents politicians, lobbyists, major party donors from serving on the commission. And that is a huge difference from the current process,” Ahern said. “You can't have a perfect system. But there are many checks and balances in this proposal.”

A spokesperson for "Ohio Works," the group that will run the opposition campaign, said they are currently "laying the groundwork" for their campaign. But in a written argument against Issue 1, Ohio Works said the amendment is a “cynical attempt to trick Ohio voters,” and said it is “nothing more than a partisan power grab by out of state special interests.”

Top Ohio officials have also come out against Issue 1, including Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima), and Attorney General Dave Yost (R-Ohio). Those who oppose it, in part, said it will leave Ohioans with no recourse if they are unhappy; Republican strategist Mike Gonidakis, who is not part of the official opposition, agrees.

“They want to have unelected people that answer to nobody come up with the maps that they think is best. That's undemocratic,” Gonidakis said.

These campaigns are not just about getting to Ohioans in person -- Citizens Not Politicians has already spent nearly $17 million on advertising. It is unclear how much Ohio Works has raised or spent, but as of July, when the last campaign finance report was due, they have not raised or spent any money yet.

“Be able to saturate, you know, all the Facebooks and the Twitters, Instagrams, the social media aspect of that, that is a better price point, No. 1,” Gonidakis said. “And No. 2, more people are on social media.”

The language for Issue 1 that will appear on ballots could still be subject to change. It was approved by the Ohio Ballot Board on Aug. 16, but Citizens Not Politicians almost immediately took it to the Ohio Supreme Court to challenge what the board passed on party lines.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 7. Early voting begins on Oct. 8, and Election Day is Nov. 5.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio voters will start heading to the polls in 40 days for early voting and Election Day is now only 68 days away, which means campaigns are ramping up to be full speed ahead after Labor Day.

There is only one state issue on the ballot this fall, called Issue 1, brought forward by Citizens Not Politicians. Some Ohioans are hitting the streets to help make sure every voter knows about it.

“Hi there, we’re volunteers with Citizens Not Politicians,” Issue 1 volunteer Michael Ahern said to a voter. “Your signature worked, we got enough signatures. It is going to be on the ballot in November.”

Ahern said despite reform being passed in both 2015 and 2018, these past several years, watching the redistricting commission has been “frustrating.”

“When you have politicians that are involved in creating those district lines and then manipulating them for party purposes, then that undermines democracy,” he said.

Right now, the Ohio Redistricting Commission is made up of seven elected officials. The make-up changes depending on who is elected to certain offices, but there are currently five Republicans and two Democrats on it. The last set of maps they passed were unanimous.

Issue 1 aims to take politicians out of the map redistricting process, and instead create a 15-person commission with five Democrats, five Republicans and five independent voters.

“This initiative prevents politicians, lobbyists, major party donors from serving on the commission. And that is a huge difference from the current process,” Ahern said. “You can't have a perfect system. But there are many checks and balances in this proposal.”

A spokesperson for "Ohio Works," the group that will run the opposition campaign, said they are currently "laying the groundwork" for their campaign. But in a written argument against Issue 1, Ohio Works said the amendment is a “cynical attempt to trick Ohio voters,” and said it is “nothing more than a partisan power grab by out of state special interests.”

Top Ohio officials have also come out against Issue 1, including Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima), and Attorney General Dave Yost (R-Ohio). Those who oppose it, in part, said it will leave Ohioans with no recourse if they are unhappy; Republican strategist Mike Gonidakis, who is not part of the official opposition, agrees.

“They want to have unelected people that answer to nobody come up with the maps that they think is best. That's undemocratic,” Gonidakis said.

These campaigns are not just about getting to Ohioans in person -- Citizens Not Politicians has already spent nearly $17 million on advertising. It is unclear how much Ohio Works has raised or spent, but as of July, when the last campaign finance report was due, they have not raised or spent any money yet.

“Be able to saturate, you know, all the Facebooks and the Twitters, Instagrams, the social media aspect of that, that is a better price point, No. 1,” Gonidakis said. “And No. 2, more people are on social media.”

The language for Issue 1 that will appear on ballots could still be subject to change. It was approved by the Ohio Ballot Board on Aug. 16, but Citizens Not Politicians almost immediately took it to the Ohio Supreme Court to challenge what the board passed on party lines.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 7. Early voting begins on Oct. 8, and Election Day is Nov. 5.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s elections chief on Wednesday referred for possible prosecution 597 apparent noncitizens who either registered to vote or cast a ballot in a recent election — a higher number than he normally finds, but still a tiny fraction of the state’s electorate.

Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose said that of those cases, 138 were found to have cast ballots and 459 registered but did not vote. They were identified as part of a routine review and referred to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

The total compares to 148 noncitizen cases referred in 2022, 117 in 2021 and 354 in 2019. More than 8 million people are registered to vote in Ohio.

Only a handful of noncitizen-related cases are ever prosecuted. However, this year's referrals come as preventing noncitizen voting has become a centerpiece of Republicans’ 2024 campaign messaging.

Earlier this year, LaRose launched an audit of the state's voter registration database that resulted in the removal of 154,995 registrations that he said had been confirmed to be abandoned and inactive for at least four consecutive years.

Civil rights organizations decried the effort as voter suppression. LaRose said the effort is ongoing and additional registrations could yet be cancelled before November's presidential election.

LaRose has said his citizenship verification efforts this year are the most comprehensive the office has ever undertaken. The analysis includes cross-checks against records provided by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Homeland Security’s federal database of noncitizens, the Social Security Administration, federal jury pool data and other resources.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s elections chief on Wednesday referred for possible prosecution 597 apparent noncitizens who either registered to vote or cast a ballot in a recent election — a higher number than he normally finds, but still a tiny fraction of the state’s electorate.

Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose said that of those cases, 138 were found to have cast ballots and 459 registered but did not vote. They were identified as part of a routine review and referred to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

The total compares to 148 noncitizen cases referred in 2022, 117 in 2021 and 354 in 2019. More than 8 million people are registered to vote in Ohio.

Only a handful of noncitizen-related cases are ever prosecuted. However, this year's referrals come as preventing noncitizen voting has become a centerpiece of Republicans’ 2024 campaign messaging.

Earlier this year, LaRose launched an audit of the state's voter registration database that resulted in the removal of 154,995 registrations that he said had been confirmed to be abandoned and inactive for at least four consecutive years.

Civil rights organizations decried the effort as voter suppression. LaRose said the effort is ongoing and additional registrations could yet be cancelled before November's presidential election.

LaRose has said his citizenship verification efforts this year are the most comprehensive the office has ever undertaken. The analysis includes cross-checks against records provided by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Homeland Security’s federal database of noncitizens, the Social Security Administration, federal jury pool data and other resources.