The Ohio legislature, with a Republican supermajority, passed Senate Bill 293, another unnecessary and harmful election law that hurts Ohio voters. SB 293 was co-sponsosred by State Senator Teresa Gavarone — who represents Erie County. This bill will invalid thousands of valid absentee/mail-in ballots mailed on time from eligible Ohio voters — absentee/mail-in ballots previously had a four day grace period as long as the ballot envelope was postmarked by the Monday before Election Day and are counted as long as the ballot arrives within four days after Election Day. Worse, at the last minute lawmakers threw in parts of SB 153 to make voter registration and election administration more onerous. In the meantime, the ACLU and other voter rights organizations have filed a lawsuit to overturn SB293. Please read the UPDATE from Erie County Board of Elections!
Thousands of legal ballots from eligible voters could be rejected because of the post office slow delivery routing, not the voter. This change would especially hurt Ohio seniors, voters with disabilities, rural voters, college students, and working Ohioans who depend on voting by mail. It does nothing to make our elections more secure, it only makes our elections less accessible.
SB 293 also included provisions from SB 153 that will result in more Ohioans mistakenly having their voter registration cancelled and will result in a dramatic increase in the rate of provisional ballots, as well as make election officials’ work more burdensome with no new resources given to support them. The Republican legislature has added administrative responsibilities onto election workers without providing additional resources — once again, they have legislated an unfair and unfunded mandate.
Currently, the Erie County Board of Elections staff is waiting on a response from the Ohio Secretary of State office for them to answer questions staff has about cancelling voters’ registrations – there are 141 voters listed for potential cancellation of their registration. In the meantime, it is always good practice for everyone to check your voter registration on a regular basis. You can check your registration here. In addition, here is the list of possible Erie County voters who may be purged because their information from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles does not match what is on file at the Erie County Board of Elections. If your name is listed – or if you know someone on the list, please contact the Erie County Board of Elections immediately – call 419.627.7601 – Main. Finally, here is the Ohio Secretary of State Directive regarding purging mismatched voter information.
2.20.2026 | UPDATE: According to the Erie County Board of Elections staff: “The Secretary of State’s office emailed Board of Elections offices and board members today with updated information on SB 293. It turns out that boards are required to send notices to voters who have mismatching DL#, SSN#, and/or DOB, even if that mismatch occurred prior to the passage of SB 293.” The list e-mailed to ECDP Chair Amy Grubbe a few weeks ago of 141 voters will now receive notices and will be placed in provisional status – which means if they would like to vote in the upcoming Primary Election on May 5, 2026, they will need to update their information prior to Election Day or they will be required to vote a provisional ballot. If they end up voting a provisional ballot, they will be required to provide documentation to the Erie County Board of Elections within a certain time frame to ensure their ballot is counted. Notices will be mailed to these voters no later than March 6th. Please review the list below. If you know of anyone on this list, please have them contact the Erie County Board of Elections at 419.627.7601 – main number.
BMV Mismatch Status List – 1.27.26
SOS Directive-2026-02 – Implementation SB293
The Ohio ACLU filed a federal lawsuit alongside ACLU National and Campaign Legal Center challenging Senate Bill 293 for violating the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The lawsuit was filed on behalf of CAIR-Northern Ohio and the League of Women Voters of Ohio.
SB 293’s requirement for mass voter purges is both discriminatory and unlawful, and its reliance on error-prone, outdated, and inaccurate citizenship databases puts eligible voters – particularly naturalized citizens – at risk for disenfranchisement.
We sent a letter to Secretary of State LaRose on January 22, detailing our specific concerns. After the Secretary of State’s office failed to correct the NVRA violations outlined in our letter, we are left with no other choice but to pursue litigation.
We urge the court to prohibit the state from enforcing SB 293 to protect eligible Ohio voters from being unfairly purged and disenfranchised. Our democracy thrives when all voices are heard and all eligible voters can participate fully in our elections.
Please be aware:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
ABOUT ABSENTEE/MAIL-IN BALLOTS
On December 19, 2025,
Governor Mike DeWine (R) signed into law – SB293.
This law was passed by the GOP supermajority.
One of the major changes voters will experience:
ABSENTEE/MAIL-IN BALLOTS
MUST NOW BE RECEIVED BY 7:30pm
ON ELECTION DAY.
Please make sure you submit your
Absentee/Mail-In Ballot application
early to ensure timely delivery and return of
your voted ballot to have it counted.
You can always have your ballot
mailed to you and then deliver your ballot
to the Erie County Board of Elections:
Drop off in the dropbox (follow the sign)
or take into the office located at
2900 Columbus Avenue – Room 101 | Sandusky 44870
REMEMBER:
The Absentee/Mail-In Ballot
must be returned no later than
7:30pm on Election Day.
**Postmarks do not matter**
Any questions, please call your
local county board of elections!
Erie County Board of Elections:
419.627.7601 – Main