All On The Line Statement on HB 680

In response to the possibly imminent passage of Ohio House Bill 680, All On The Line Ohio State Director Katy Shanahan released the following statement:

“In the midst of a global health pandemic, conservative Ohio legislators who gerrymandered themselves into power are hard at work to make it more difficult and less safe for Ohioans to cast their ballots in November’s election. Rather than taking into consideration a number of bipartisan, common-sense policy reform measures these conservative lawmakers are using House Bill 680 to make voting by mail more difficult and to make voting in-person less safe.

“Eighty opponents submitted testimony against HB 680. But just hours before the first and only opportunity for them to be heard, the committee had already starred the bill for a vote and the House had added it to its floor vote schedule. The absurdly rapid trajectory of this bill puts on full display how a gerrymandered legislature operates. There is no real accountability to the people. And with no genuine opportunity for the public’s opinions to be heard before a bill gets rammed through, democracy itself suffers. 

“In its current form, despite nominal improvements included in some amendments, HB 680 is nothing more than reckless voter suppression. We are disappointed to see, once again, Ohioans shut out of the legislative process and the legislature quickly advancing a bill that will wreak lasting damage to November’s election. Our collective driving purpose should be to make the path to the ballot box safe and easily accessible for all voters. HB 680 does just the opposite.”

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