Stop SB 153

Senate Bill 153 represents yet another calculated effort by Ohio politicians to manipulate the system for their own advantage and diminish the voice and power of Ohio voters.

Gerrymandered supermajorities in both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly have made access to the ballot box and direct democracy even more crucial for Ohio voters.

While the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) ACT is debated at the federal level, Ohio lawmakers are considering Senate Bill 153, an attempted copy-cat assault on democracy in our state. Ohio is one of 24 states considering this type of legislation.

May 28, 2025

The General Government Committee convened for a marathon session on May 27th to hear public testimony on Senate Bill 153. The response was overwhelming - 107 total testimonies were submitted, with 23 people speaking in person and 28 registered as interested parties. The room was packed with Ohioans from across the state defending their voting rights.

Read our CEO Rachael Belz testimony

Watch the full hearing video - SB 153 testimony starts around 2:24.00

Senate Bill 153 proposes to do the following:

Changes to the registration process

Requires “documentary proof of citizenship” to be presented in order to register to vote or update your voter registration.
Eliminates the use of voter registration forms, prohibits registering through QR codes at local events or drives, and ends online voter registration.
Requires Ohioans to register or update their registration by going to the Board of Elections and bringing required proof of citizenship. Most people do not carry the required forms of identification when they go to the BMV to renew their license.

Changes that could trigger provisional voting

Senate Bill 153 requires your ID to match your voter information exactly, and forces you to vote provisionally if any of the following applies:

Your middle initial is listed on your registration but not your license
You moved in the past 8 years but did not update your license
Your license uses a shortened version of the name on your registration
You changed or hyphenated your last name when you were married
You have changed your name for any reason
You do not have a driver’s license or state ID
BMV data is incorrect or has not been updated

Requires all newly registered voters and recently updated voters to vote provisionally until their citizenship is verified. If you are forced to vote provisionally for any reason, and you fail to provide proper documentation afterward, your voter registration will be canceled.

If you fail to response to voter confirmation notices sent through the mail within 14 days of the second notice, you could face prosecution.

All ballot drop boxes would be banned, including those outside your Board of Elections.

Changes to ballot signature collection process

Requires paid circulators to wear a visible badge while collecting signatures
Defines “paid” as “given, or promised, or has received, any money or other thing of value as consideration for taking the action.” This could include pizza or t-shirts.
Informs circulators they could be subpoenaed to testify, even if they reside out of state
Requires paid circulators for all petitions (liquor, zoning, state ballot) to list their employer on each petition and write in the number of signatures they collected
Contains provisions that would require petitions to be thrown out if circulators don’t wear badges, sign the wrong section, or if paperwork isn’t filed correctly