I think everyone can agree that only U.S. citizens should register to vote and vote in U.S. elections. No matter which side of the aisle you sit on, I don’t think anyone would disagree that non-citizens should not vote in U.S. elections. In fact, it is already illegal to do so. I understand lawmakers’ desire to ensure only U.S. citizens vote in our election. However, the SAVE Act, which is poised to be voted on in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday and sponsored by both Senators Husted and Moreno is NOT the right law to safeguard our elections nor is the recently signed “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections” executive order.
Here’s why. Both the SAVE Act and now this executive order requires in person voter registration at the Wood County Board of Elections (BOE). If you move or change your name you have to re-register and make a trip to the BOE in person. According to the BOE, they processed approximately 34,424 voter registration forms last year. Of those forms, 20,750 voters used the online form to register or update their registrations, 10,567 mailed in a printed form, and 4,846 people updated or registered at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. NONE of these methods for registering to vote or update vote registrations will be allowed under the new law!
If you do the math… The BOE is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 PM to 4:30 PM, meaning they processed approximately 133 voter registration forms per day or 17 forms per hour last year. Imagine if every one of those people came into the office in person and had to have their birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers verified as well? Now imagine if you lived in a bigger county like Lucas, Cuyahoga or Hamilton. The logistics of this law and executive order are completely unrealistic.
Why does citizenship need to be verified in person? Why doesn’t either designate marriage certificates as a legal document to verify proof of a name change when someone’s name changes? Because this law is not about keeping non-citizens from voting, it’s about keeping people who don’t agree with the people in power from voting. Call, email or write and let Rep. Latta and Senators Husted and Moreno these policy changes are not good for Wood County or Ohio.
Sharlyn Katzner
Bowling Green
