Ohio Senate concurs in House changes to election bill after heated debate on mail ballots and roll checks

The Ohio Senate on the floor on a late session voted to concur in House amendments to Substitute Senate Bill 293, a package of changes that tightens absentee‑ballot deadlines and increases verification and maintenance of the statewide voter registration list. The motion to concur passed on a roll call that the clerk recorded as 23 yeas and 10 nays.

Supporters, led on the floor by Senator Gavarone, said the bill aligns Ohio law with pending federal litigation and strengthens public confidence. "This bill will require absentee ballots to be delivered to the Board of Elections by the time polls close on Election Day," Gavarone said, while exempting uniformed and overseas citizens covered by UOCAVA. She told colleagues the U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a Fifth Circuit decision that required ballots be received by Election Day, and that acting now would give election administrators and voters…