Fourth hearing on SB 153 draws split testimony on citizenship checks, list maintenance, drop boxes and petition rules

Substitute Senate Bill 153 received a fourth hearing before the Ohio Senate General Government Committee, with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose among the in-person proponent witnesses and dozens of others offering testimony both for and against the bill's provisions on citizenship verification, voter-list maintenance, absentee voting protections and petition-circulator requirements.

LaRose, Ohio’s chief elections officer, told the committee he supports several elements of the subbill and urged legislative action to align state law with federal expectations after the U.S. Department of Justice raised concerns about Ohio’s absentee-ballot return deadline. LaRose said his office has begun using federal datasets, including the Department of Homeland Security SAVE system and Social Security Administration data, to verify registrations and that the legislation would codify and expand processes used to resolve mismatched…