Revise Election Law; enact the Interstate Voter Assistance Act

sb451_00_IN

As Introduced

136th
General Assembly

Regular
Session
S. B. No. 451

2025-2026

Senator Gavarone

To
amend sections
109.71,
109.77, 2935.01, 3501.05, 3501.055, 3503.02,
3503.14,
3503.21, 3503.33
,
3517.14, 3517.15, and 3517.16

and to enact
sections
111.50,
3503.34
,
and 3503.35

of the Revised Code
to
make changes to the Election Law regarding voter registration, voter
roll maintenance, and enforcement and to name portions of this act
the Interstate Voter Assistance Act.

BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section
1.
That
sections
109.71,
109.77, 2935.01, 3501.05, 3501.055, 3503.02,
3503.14,
3503.21, 3503.33
,
3517.14, 3517.15, and 3517.16

be amended and
sections
111.50,
3503.34
,
and 3503.35

of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec.
109.71.
There
is hereby created in the office of the attorney general the Ohio
peace officer training commission. The commission shall consist of
ten members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of
the senate and selected as follows: one member representing the
public; one member who represents a fraternal organization
representing law enforcement officers; two members who are incumbent
sheriffs; two members who are incumbent chiefs of police; one member
from the bureau of criminal identification and investigation; one
member from the state highway patrol; one member who is the special
agent in charge of a field office of the federal bureau of
investigation in this state; and one member from the department of
education and workforce, trade and industrial education services, law
enforcement training.

This
section does not confer any arrest authority or any ability or
authority to detain a person, write or issue any citation, or provide
any disposition alternative, as granted under Chapter 2935. of the
Revised Code.

The
commission is exempt from the requirements of sections 101.82 to
101.87 of the Revised Code.

As
used in sections 109.71 to 109.801 of the Revised Code:

(A)
"Peace officer" means:

(1)
A deputy sheriff, marshal, deputy marshal, member of the organized
police department of a township or municipal corporation, member of a
township police district or joint police district police force,
member of a police force employed by a metropolitan housing authority
under division (D) of section 3735.31 of the Revised Code, or
township constable, who is commissioned and employed as a peace
officer by a political subdivision of this state or by a metropolitan
housing authority, and whose primary duties are to preserve the
peace, to protect life and property, and to enforce the laws of this
state, ordinances of a municipal corporation, resolutions of a
township, or regulations of a board of county commissioners or board
of township trustees, or any of those laws, ordinances, resolutions,
or regulations;

(2)
A police officer who is employed by a railroad company and appointed
and commissioned by the secretary of state pursuant to sections
4973.17 to 4973.22 of the Revised Code;

(3)
Employees of the department of taxation engaged in the enforcement of
Chapter 5743. of the Revised Code and designated by the tax
commissioner for peace officer training for purposes of the
delegation of investigation powers under section 5743.45 of the
Revised Code;

(4)
An undercover drug agent;

(5)
Enforcement agents of the department of public safety whom the
director of public safety designates under section 5502.14 of the
Revised Code;

(6)
An employee of the department of natural resources who is a natural
resources law enforcement staff officer designated pursuant to
section 1501.013, a natural resources officer appointed pursuant to
section 1501.24, a forest-fire investigator appointed pursuant to
section 1503.09, or a wildlife officer designated pursuant to section
1531.13 of the Revised Code;

(7)
An employee of a park district who is designated pursuant to section
511.232 or 1545.13 of the Revised Code;

(8)
An employee of a conservancy district who is designated pursuant to
section 6101.75 of the Revised Code;

(9)
A police officer who is employed by a hospital that employs and
maintains its own proprietary police department or security
department, and who is appointed and commissioned by the secretary of
state pursuant to sections 4973.17 to 4973.22 of the Revised Code;

(10)
Veterans' homes police officers designated under section 5907.02 of
the Revised Code;

(11)
A police officer who is employed by a qualified nonprofit corporation
police department pursuant to section 1702.80 of the Revised Code;

(12)
A state university law enforcement officer appointed under section
3345.04 of the Revised Code or a person serving as a state university
law enforcement officer on a permanent basis on June 19, 1978, who
has been awarded a certificate by the executive director of the Ohio
peace officer training commission attesting to the person's
satisfactory completion of an approved state, county, municipal, or
department of natural resources peace officer basic training program;

(13)
A special police officer employed by the department of
mental
health and addiction services
behavioral
health
pursuant
to section 5119.08 of the Revised Code or the department of
developmental disabilities pursuant to section 5123.13 of the Revised
Code;

(14)
A member of a campus police department appointed under section
1713.50 of the Revised Code;

(15)
A member of a police force employed by a regional transit authority
under division (Y) of section 306.35 of the Revised Code;

(16)
Investigators appointed by the auditor of state pursuant to section
117.091 of the Revised Code and engaged in the enforcement of Chapter
117. of the Revised Code;

(17)
A special police officer designated by the superintendent of the
state highway patrol pursuant to section 5503.09 of the Revised Code
or a person who was serving as a special police officer pursuant to
that section on a permanent basis on October 21, 1997, and who has
been awarded a certificate by the executive director of the Ohio
peace officer training commission attesting to the person's
satisfactory completion of an approved state, county, municipal, or
department of natural resources peace officer basic training program;

(18)
A special police officer employed by a port authority under section
4582.04 or 4582.28 of the Revised Code or a person serving as a
special police officer employed by a port authority on a permanent
basis on May 17, 2000, who has been awarded a certificate by the
executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission
attesting to the person's satisfactory completion of an approved
state, county, municipal, or department of natural resources peace
officer basic training program;

(19)
A special police officer employed by a municipal corporation who has
been awarded a certificate by the executive director of the Ohio
peace officer training commission for satisfactory completion of an
approved peace officer basic training program and who is employed on
a permanent basis on or after March 19, 2003, at a municipal airport,
or other municipal air navigation facility, that has scheduled
operations, as defined in section 119.3 of Title 14 of the Code of
Federal Regulations, 14 C.F.R. 119.3, as amended, and that is
required to be under a security program and is governed by aviation
security rules of the transportation security administration of the
United States department of transportation as provided in Parts 1542.
and 1544. of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as amended;

(20)
A police officer who is employed by an owner or operator of an
amusement park that has an average yearly attendance in excess of six
hundred thousand guests and that employs and maintains its own
proprietary police department or security department, and who is
appointed and commissioned by a judge of the appropriate municipal
court or county court pursuant to section 4973.17 of the Revised
Code;

(21)
A police officer who is employed by a bank, savings and loan
association, savings bank, credit union, or association of banks,
savings and loan associations, savings banks, or credit unions, who
has been appointed and commissioned by the secretary of state
pursuant to sections 4973.17 to 4973.22 of the Revised Code, and who
has been awarded a certificate by the executive director of the Ohio
peace officer training commission attesting to the person's
satisfactory completion of a state, county, municipal, or department
of natural resources peace officer basic training program;

(22)
An investigator, as defined in section 109.541 of the Revised Code,
of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation who is
commissioned by the superintendent of the bureau as a special agent
for the purpose of assisting law enforcement officers or providing
emergency assistance to peace officers pursuant to authority granted
under that section;

(23)
A state fire marshal law enforcement officer appointed under section
3737.22 of the Revised Code or a person serving as a state fire
marshal law enforcement officer on a permanent basis on or after July
1, 1982, who has been awarded a certificate by the executive director
of the Ohio peace officer training commission attesting to the
person's satisfactory completion of an approved state, county,
municipal, or department of natural resources peace officer basic
training program;

(24)
A gaming agent employed under section 3772.03 of the Revised Code;

(25)
An employee of the state board of pharmacy designated by the
executive director of the board pursuant to section 4729.04 of the
Revised Code to investigate violations of Chapters 2925., 3715.,
3719., 3796., 4729., and 4752. of the Revised Code and rules adopted
thereunder
;

(26)
An investigator appointed by the secretary of state under section
111.50 of the Revised Code
.

(B)
"Undercover drug agent" has the same meaning as in division
(B)(2) of section 109.79 of the Revised Code.

(C)
"Crisis intervention training" means training in the use of
interpersonal and communication skills to most effectively and
sensitively interview victims of rape.

(D)
"Missing children" has the same meaning as in section
2901.30 of the Revised Code.

(E)
"Tactical medical professional" means an EMT, EMT-basic,
AEMT, EMT-I, paramedic, nurse, or physician who is trained and
certified in a nationally recognized tactical medical training
program that is equivalent to "tactical combat casualty care"
(TCCC) and "tactical emergency medical support" (TEMS) and
who functions in the tactical or austere environment while attached
to a law enforcement agency of either this state or a political
subdivision of this state.

(F)
"EMT-basic," "EMT-I," and "paramedic"
have the same meanings as in section 4765.01 of the Revised Code and
"EMT" and "AEMT" have the same meanings as in
section 4765.011 of the Revised Code.

(G)
"Nurse" means any of the following:

(1)
Any person who is licensed to practice nursing as a registered nurse
by the board of nursing;

(2)
Any certified nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist,
certified registered nurse anesthetist, or certified nurse-midwife
who holds a certificate of authority issued by the board of nursing
under Chapter 4723. of the Revised Code;

(3)
Any person who is licensed to practice nursing as a licensed
practical nurse by the board of nursing pursuant to Chapter 4723. of
the Revised Code.

(H)
"Physician" means a person who is licensed pursuant to
Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code to practice medicine and surgery or
osteopathic medicine and surgery.

(I)
"County correctional officer" has the same meaning as in
section 341.41 of the Revised Code.

(J)(1)
"Fire investigator" means an employee of a fire department
charged with investigating fires and explosions who has been
authorized, in accordance with sections 737.27 and 3737.24 of the
Revised Code, to perform the duties of investigating the origin and
cause of fires and explosions using the scientific method to
investigate elements of the event including the circumstances,
actions, persons, means, and motives that resulted in the fire or
explosion or the report of a fire or explosion within this state.

(2)
"Fire investigator" does not include a person who is acting
as a fire investigator on behalf of an insurance company or any other
privately owned or operated enterprise.

(K)
"Fire department" means a fire department of the state or
an instrumentality of the state or of a municipal corporation,
township, joint fire district, or other political subdivision.

(L)
"At-risk youth" means an individual who is all of the
following:

(1)
Under twenty-one years of age;

(2)
One of the following:

(a)
At risk of becoming an abused, neglected, or dependent child,
delinquent or unruly child, or juvenile traffic offender;

(b)
An abused, neglected, or dependent child, delinquent or unruly child,
or juvenile traffic offender.

(3)
Residing in a state correctional institution, a department of youth
services institution, or a residential facility.

(M)
"Residential facility" has the same meaning as in section
2151.46 of the Revised Code.

Sec.
109.77.
(A)
As used in this section:

(1)
"Felony" has the same meaning as in section 109.511 of the
Revised Code.

(2)
"Companion animal" has the same meaning as in section
959.131 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1)
Notwithstanding any general, special, or local law or charter to the
contrary, and except as otherwise provided in this section, no person
shall receive an original appointment on a permanent basis as any of
the following unless the person previously has been awarded a
certificate by the executive director of the Ohio peace officer
training commission attesting to the person's satisfactory completion
of an approved state, county, municipal, or department of natural
resources peace officer basic training program:

(a)
A peace officer of any county, township, municipal corporation,
regional transit authority, or metropolitan housing authority;

(b)
A natural resources law enforcement staff officer, forest-fire
investigator, wildlife officer, or natural resources officer of the
department of natural resources;

(c)
An employee of a park district under section 511.232 or 1545.13 of
the Revised Code;

(d)
An employee of a conservancy district who is designated pursuant to
section 6101.75 of the Revised Code;

(e)
A state university law enforcement officer;

(f)
A special police officer employed by the department of
mental
health and addiction services
behavioral
health
pursuant
to section 5119.08 of the Revised Code or the department of
developmental disabilities pursuant to section 5123.13 of the Revised
Code;

(g)
An enforcement agent of the department of public safety whom the
director of public safety designates under section 5502.14 of the
Revised Code;

(h)
A special police officer employed by a port authority under section
4582.04 or 4582.28 of the Revised Code;

(i)
A special police officer employed by a municipal corporation at a
municipal airport, or other municipal air navigation facility, that
has scheduled operations, as defined in section 119.3 of Title 14 of
the Code of Federal Regulations, 14 C.F.R. 119.3, as amended, and
that is required to be under a security program and is governed by
aviation security rules of the transportation security administration
of the United States department of transportation as provided in
Parts 1542. and 1544. of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations,
as amended;

(j)
A gaming agent employed under section 3772.03 of the Revised Code
;

(k)
An investigator appointed by the secretary of state under section
111.50 of the Revised Code
.

(2)
Every person who is appointed on a temporary basis or for a
probationary term or on other than a permanent basis as any of the
following shall forfeit the appointed position unless the person
previously has completed satisfactorily or, within the time
prescribed by rules adopted by the attorney general pursuant to
section 109.74 of the Revised Code, satisfactorily completes a state,
county, municipal, or department of natural resources peace officer
basic training program for temporary or probationary officers and is
awarded a certificate by the director attesting to the satisfactory
completion of the program:

(a)
A peace officer of any county, township, municipal corporation,
regional transit authority, or metropolitan housing authority;

(b)
A natural resources law enforcement staff officer, park officer,
forest officer, preserve officer, wildlife officer, or state
watercraft officer of the department of natural resources;

(c)
An employee of a park district under section 511.232 or 1545.13 of
the Revised Code;

(d)
An employee of a conservancy district who is designated pursuant to
section 6101.75 of the Revised Code;

(e)
A special police officer employed by the department of
mental
health and addiction services
behavioral
health
pursuant
to section 5119.08 of the Revised Code or the department of
developmental disabilities pursuant to section 5123.13 of the Revised
Code;

(f)
An enforcement agent of the department of public safety whom the
director of public safety designates under section 5502.14 of the
Revised Code;

(g)
A special police officer employed by a port authority under section
4582.04 or 4582.28 of the Revised Code;

(h)
A special police officer employed by a municipal corporation at a
municipal airport, or other municipal air navigation facility, that
has scheduled operations, as defined in section 119.3 of Title 14 of
the Code of Federal Regulations, 14 C.F.R. 119.3, as amended, and
that is required to be under a security program and is governed by
aviation security rules of the transportation security administration
of the United States department of transportation as provided in
Parts 1542. and 1544. of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations,
as amended.

(3)
For purposes of division (B) of this section, a state, county,
municipal, or department of natural resources peace officer basic
training program, regardless of whether the program is to be
completed by peace officers appointed on a permanent or temporary,
probationary, or other nonpermanent basis, shall include training in
the handling of the offense of domestic violence, other types of
domestic violence-related offenses and incidents, protection orders
and consent agreements issued or approved under section 2919.26 or
3113.31 of the Revised Code, crisis intervention training, and
training on companion animal encounters and companion animal
behavior. The requirement to complete training in the handling of the
offense of domestic violence, other types of domestic
violence-related offenses and incidents, and protection orders and
consent agreements issued or approved under section 2919.26 or
3113.31 of the Revised Code does not apply to any person serving as a
peace officer on March 27, 1979, and the requirement to complete
training in crisis intervention does not apply to any person serving
as a peace officer on April 4, 1985. Any person who is serving as a
peace officer on April 4, 1985, who terminates that employment after
that date, and who subsequently is hired as a peace officer by the
same or another law enforcement agency shall complete training in
crisis intervention as prescribed by rules adopted by the attorney
general pursuant to section 109.742 of the Revised Code. No peace
officer shall have employment as a peace officer terminated and then
be reinstated with intent to circumvent this section.

(4)
Division (B) of this section does not apply to any person serving on
a permanent basis on March 28, 1985, as a park officer, forest
officer, preserve officer, wildlife officer, or state watercraft
officer of the department of natural resources or as an employee of a
park district under section 511.232 or 1545.13 of the Revised Code,
to any person serving on a permanent basis on March 6, 1986, as an
employee of a conservancy district designated pursuant to section
6101.75 of the Revised Code, to any person serving on a permanent
basis on January 10, 1991, as a preserve officer of the department of
natural resources, to any person employed on a permanent basis on
July 2, 1992, as a special police officer by the department of
mental
health and addiction services
behavioral
health
pursuant
to section 5119.08 of the Revised Code or by the department of
developmental disabilities pursuant to section 5123.13 of the Revised
Code, to any person serving on a permanent basis on May 17, 2000, as
a special police officer employed by a port authority under section
4582.04 or 4582.28 of the Revised Code, to any person serving on a
permanent basis on March 19, 2003, as a special police officer
employed by a municipal corporation at a municipal airport or other
municipal air navigation facility described in division (A)(19) of
section 109.71 of the Revised Code, to any person serving on a
permanent basis on June 19, 1978, as a state university law
enforcement officer pursuant to section 3345.04 of the Revised Code
and who, immediately prior to June 19, 1978, was serving as a special
police officer designated under authority of that section, or to any
person serving on a permanent basis on September 20, 1984, as a
liquor control investigator, known after June 30, 1999, as an
enforcement agent of the department of public safety, engaged in the
enforcement of Chapters 4301. and 4303. of the Revised Code.

(5)
Division (B) of this section does not apply to any person who is
appointed as a regional transit authority police officer pursuant to
division (Y) of section 306.35 of the Revised Code if, on or before
July 1, 1996, the person has completed satisfactorily an approved
state, county, municipal, or department of natural resources peace
officer basic training program and has been awarded a certificate by
the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission
attesting to the person's satisfactory completion of such an approved
program and if, on July 1, 1996, the person is performing peace
officer functions for a regional transit authority.

(C)
No person, after September 20, 1984, shall receive an original
appointment on a permanent basis as a veterans' home police officer
designated under section 5907.02 of the Revised Code unless the
person previously has been awarded a certificate by the executive
director of the Ohio peace officer training commission attesting to
the person's satisfactory completion of an approved police officer
basic training program. Every person who is appointed on a temporary
basis or for a probationary term or on other than a permanent basis
as a veterans' home police officer designated under section 5907.02
of the Revised Code shall forfeit that position unless the person
previously has completed satisfactorily or, within one year from the
time of appointment, satisfactorily completes an approved police
officer basic training program.

(D)
No bailiff or deputy bailiff of a court of record of this state and
no criminal investigator who is employed by the state public defender
shall carry a firearm, as defined in section 2923.11 of the Revised
Code, while on duty unless the bailiff, deputy bailiff, or criminal
investigator has done or received one of the following:

(1)
Has been awarded a certificate by the executive director of the Ohio
peace officer training commission, which certificate attests to
satisfactory completion of an approved state, county, or municipal
basic training program for bailiffs and deputy bailiffs of courts of
record and for criminal investigators employed by the state public
defender that has been recommended by the Ohio peace officer training
commission;

(2)
Has successfully completed a firearms training program approved by
the Ohio peace officer training commission prior to employment as a
bailiff, deputy bailiff, or criminal investigator;

(3)
Prior to June 6, 1986, was authorized to carry a firearm by the court
that employed the bailiff or deputy bailiff or, in the case of a
criminal investigator, by the state public defender and has received
training in the use of firearms that the Ohio peace officer training
commission determines is equivalent to the training that otherwise is
required by division (D) of this section.

(E)(1)
Before a person seeking a certificate completes an approved peace
officer basic training program, the executive director of the Ohio
peace officer training commission shall request the person to
disclose, and the person shall disclose, any previous criminal
conviction of or plea of guilty of that person to a felony.

(2)
Before a person seeking a certificate completes an approved peace
officer basic training program, the executive director shall request
a criminal history records check on the person. The executive
director shall submit the person's fingerprints to the bureau of
criminal identification and investigation, which shall submit the
fingerprints to the federal bureau of investigation for a national
criminal history records check.

Upon
receipt of the executive director's request, the bureau of criminal
identification and investigation and the federal bureau of
investigation shall conduct a criminal history records check on the
person and, upon completion of the check, shall provide a copy of the
criminal history records check to the executive director. The
executive director shall not award any certificate prescribed in this
section unless the executive director has received a copy of the
criminal history records check on the person to whom the certificate
is to be awarded.

(3)
The executive director of the commission shall not award a
certificate prescribed in this section to a person who has been
convicted of or has pleaded guilty to a felony or who fails to
disclose any previous criminal conviction of or plea of guilty to a
felony as required under division (E)(1) of this section.

(4)
The executive director of the commission shall revoke the certificate
awarded to a person as prescribed in this section, and that person
shall forfeit all of the benefits derived from being certified as a
peace officer under this section, if the person, before completion of
an approved peace officer basic training program, failed to disclose
any previous criminal conviction of or plea of guilty to a felony as
required under division (E)(1) of this section.

(F)(1)
Regardless of whether the person has been awarded the certificate or
has been classified as a peace officer prior to, on, or after October
16, 1996, the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training
commission shall revoke any certificate that has been awarded to a
person as prescribed in this section if the person does either of the
following:

(a)
Pleads guilty to a felony committed on or after January 1, 1997;

(b)
Pleads guilty to a misdemeanor committed on or after January 1, 1997,
pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement as provided in division (D)
of section 2929.43 of the Revised Code in which the person agrees to
surrender the certificate awarded to the person under this section.

(2)
The executive director of the commission shall suspend any
certificate that has been awarded to a person as prescribed in this
section if the person is convicted, after trial, of a felony
committed on or after January 1, 1997. The executive director shall
suspend the certificate pursuant to division (F)(2) of this section
pending the outcome of an appeal by the person from that conviction
to the highest court to which the appeal is taken or until the
expiration of the period in which an appeal is required to be filed.
If the person files an appeal that results in that person's acquittal
of the felony or conviction of a misdemeanor, or in the dismissal of
the felony charge against that person, the executive director shall
reinstate the certificate awarded to the person under this section.
If the person files an appeal from that person's conviction of the
felony and the conviction is upheld by the highest court to which the
appeal is taken or if the person does not file a timely appeal, the
executive director shall revoke the certificate awarded to the person
under this section.

(G)(1)
If a person is awarded a certificate under this section and the
certificate is revoked pursuant to division (E)(4) or (F) of this
section, the person shall not be eligible to receive, at any time, a
certificate attesting to the person's satisfactory completion of a
peace officer basic training program.

(2)
The revocation or suspension of a certificate under division (E)(4)
or (F) of this section shall be in accordance with Chapter 119. of
the Revised Code.

(H)(1)
A person who was employed as a peace officer of a county, township,
or municipal corporation of the state on January 1, 1966, and who has
completed at least sixteen years of full-time active service as such
a peace officer, or equivalent service as determined by the executive
director of the Ohio peace officer training commission, may receive
an original appointment on a permanent basis and serve as a peace
officer of a county, township, or municipal corporation, or as a
state university law enforcement officer, without complying with the
requirements of division (B) of this section.

(2)
Any person who held an appointment as a state highway trooper on
January 1, 1966, may receive an original appointment on a permanent
basis and serve as a peace officer of a county, township, or
municipal corporation, or as a state university law enforcement
officer, without complying with the requirements of division (B) of
this section.

(I)
No person who is appointed as a peace officer of a county, township,
or municipal corporation on or after April 9, 1985, shall serve as a
peace officer of that county, township, or municipal corporation
unless the person has received training in the handling of missing
children and child abuse and neglect cases from an approved state,
county, township, or municipal police officer basic training program
or receives the training within the time prescribed by rules adopted
by the attorney general pursuant to section 109.741 of the Revised
Code.

(J)
No part of any approved state, county, or municipal basic training
program for bailiffs and deputy bailiffs of courts of record and no
part of any approved state, county, or municipal basic training
program for criminal investigators employed by the state public
defender shall be used as credit toward the completion by a peace
officer of any part of the approved state, county, or municipal peace
officer basic training program that the peace officer is required by
this section to complete satisfactorily.

(K)
This section does not apply to any member of the police department of
a municipal corporation in an adjoining state serving in this state
under a contract pursuant to section 737.04 of the Revised Code.

(L)
The executive director of the commission shall issue a certificate of
completion of a training program required under this section in
accordance with Chapter 4796. of the Revised Code to an individual if
either of the following applies:

(1)
The individual holds a certificate of completion of such a program in
another state.

(2)
The individual has satisfactory work experience, a government
certification, or a private certification as described in that
chapter in the same profession, occupation, or occupational activity
as the profession, occupation, or occupational activity for which the
certificate is required in this state in a state that does not
require completion of such a training program.

(M)(1)
Except as provided in division (M)(2) of this section, no certificate
awarded by the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training
commission attesting to a person's satisfactory completion of an
approved state, county, municipal, or department of natural resources
peace officer basic training program shall be deemed insufficient for
an appointment to a position listed in division (B)(1) of this
section because of a lapse in the person's service as a peace
officer.

(2)
The Ohio peace officer training commission shall require a
re-appointed peace officer to complete refresher training of the
following duration prior to performing the functions of a peace
officer, if the peace officer, having previously been awarded a
certificate by the executive director of the commission attesting to
the person's satisfactory completion of an approved state, county,
municipal, or department of natural resources peace officer basic
training program or pursuant to Chapter 4796. of the Revised Code,
for at least one year prior to an appointment, was not employed as a
peace officer:

(a)
If the period of lapse was at least one year, but less than four
years, up to forty hours;

(b)
If the period of lapse was four years or longer, eighty hours.

Sec.
111.50.
The
secretary of state may appoint one or more investigators to carry out
the investigative duties of the secretary of state under sections
111.243 and 147.032 of the Revised Code and to investigate complaints
and allegations received by the election integrity unit under
sections 3501.055 and 3517.16 of the Revised Code. An investigator
appointed under this section shall be a peace officer in compliance
with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

Sec.
2935.01.
As
used in this chapter:

(A)
"Magistrate" has the same meaning as in section 2931.01 of
the Revised Code.

(B)
"Peace officer" includes, except as provided in section
2935.081 of the Revised Code, a sheriff; deputy sheriff; marshal;
deputy marshal; member of the organized police department of any
municipal corporation, including a member of the organized police
department of a municipal corporation in an adjoining state serving
in Ohio under a contract pursuant to section 737.04 of the Revised
Code; member of a police force employed by a metropolitan housing
authority under division (D) of section 3735.31 of the Revised Code;
member of a police force employed by a regional transit authority
under division (Y) of section 306.35 of the Revised Code; state
university law enforcement officer appointed under section 3345.04 of
the Revised Code; enforcement agent of the department of public
safety designated under section 5502.14 of the Revised Code; employee
of the department of taxation to whom investigation powers have been
delegated under section 5743.45 of the Revised Code; employee of the
department of natural resources who is a natural resources law
enforcement staff officer designated pursuant to section 1501.013 of
the Revised Code, a forest-fire investigator appointed pursuant to
section 1503.09 of the Revised Code, a natural resources officer
appointed pursuant to section 1501.24 of the Revised Code, or a
wildlife officer designated pursuant to section 1531.13 of the
Revised Code; individual designated to perform law enforcement duties
under section 511.232, 1545.13, or 6101.75 of the Revised Code;
veterans' home police officer appointed under section 5907.02 of the
Revised Code; special police officer employed by a port authority
under section 4582.04 or 4582.28 of the Revised Code; police
constable of any township; police officer of a township or joint
police district; a special police officer employed by a municipal
corporation at a municipal airport, or other municipal air navigation
facility, that has scheduled operations, as defined in section 119.3
of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 14 C.F.R. 119.3, as
amended, and that is required to be under a security program and is
governed by aviation security rules of the transportation security
administration of the United States department of transportation as
provided in Parts 1542. and 1544. of Title 49 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, as amended; the house of representatives sergeant at
arms if the house of representatives sergeant at arms has arrest
authority pursuant to division (E)(1) of section 101.311 of the
Revised Code; an assistant house of representatives sergeant at arms;
the senate sergeant at arms; an assistant senate sergeant at arms;
officer or employee of the bureau of criminal identification and
investigation established pursuant to section 109.51 of the Revised
Code who has been awarded a certificate by the executive director of
the Ohio peace officer training commission attesting to the officer's
or employee's satisfactory completion of an approved state, county,
municipal, or department of natural resources peace officer basic
training program and who is providing assistance upon request to a
law enforcement officer or emergency assistance to a peace officer
pursuant to section 109.54 or 109.541 of the Revised Code; a state
fire marshal law enforcement officer described in division (A)(23) of
section 109.71 of the Revised Code; a gaming agent, as defined in
section 3772.01 of the Revised Code;
an
investigator appointed by the secretary of state under section 111.50
of the Revised Code;
and,
for the purpose of arrests within those areas, for the purposes of
Chapter 5503. of the Revised Code, and the filing of and service of
process relating to those offenses witnessed or investigated by them,
the superintendent and troopers of the state highway patrol.

(C)
"Prosecutor" includes the county prosecuting attorney and
any assistant prosecutor designated to assist the county prosecuting
attorney, and, in the case of courts inferior to courts of common
pleas, includes the village solicitor, city director of law, or
similar chief legal officer of a municipal corporation, any such
officer's assistants, or any attorney designated by the prosecuting
attorney of the county to appear for the prosecution of a given case.

(D)
"Offense," except where the context specifically indicates
otherwise, includes felonies, misdemeanors, and violations of
ordinances of municipal corporations and other public bodies
authorized by law to adopt penal regulations.

(E)
"Tier one offense" means a violation of section 2903.01,
2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.06, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.21,
2903.211, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.32, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04,
2907.05, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2909.02, 2909.03, 2909.24,
2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2919.25, 2921.34, 2923.161, 2950.04,
2950.041, 2950.05, or 2950.06 of the Revised Code.

Sec.
3501.05.
The
secretary of state shall do all of the following:

(A)
Appoint all members of boards of elections;

(B)
Issue instructions by directives and advisories in accordance with
section 3501.053 of the Revised Code to members of the boards as to
the proper methods of conducting elections.

(C)
Prepare rules and instructions for the conduct of elections;

(D)
Publish and furnish to the boards from time to time a sufficient
number of indexed copies of all election laws then in force;

(E)
Edit and issue all pamphlets concerning proposed laws or amendments
required by law to be submitted to the voters;

(F)
Prescribe the form of registration cards, blanks, and records;

(G)
Determine and prescribe the forms of ballots and the forms of all
blanks, cards of instructions, pollbooks, tally sheets, certificates
of election, and forms and blanks required by law for use by
candidates, committees, and boards;

(H)
Prepare the ballot title or statement to be placed on the ballot for
any proposed law or amendment to the constitution to be submitted to
the voters of the state;

(I)
Except as otherwise provided in section 3519.08 of the Revised Code,
certify to the several boards the forms of ballots and names of
candidates for state offices, and the form and wording of state
referendum questions and issues, as they shall appear on the ballot;

(J)
Except as otherwise provided in division (I)(2)(b) of section 3501.38
of the Revised Code, give final approval to ballot language for any
local question or issue approved and transmitted by boards of
elections under section 3501.11 of the Revised Code;

(K)
Receive all initiative and referendum petitions on state questions
and issues and determine and certify to the sufficiency of those
petitions;

(L)
Require such reports from the several boards as are provided by law,
or as the secretary of state considers necessary;

(M)
Compel the observance by election officers in the several counties of
the requirements of the election laws;

(N)(1)
Except as otherwise provided in division (N)(2) of this section,
through the election integrity unit created under section 3501.055 of
the Revised Code, investigate the administration of election laws,
frauds, and irregularities in elections in any county, and report
violations of election laws to the attorney general or prosecuting
attorney, or both, for prosecution;

(2)
Receive and process complaints regarding any alleged violation of a
provision of law over which the Ohio election integrity commission
has jurisdiction, in accordance with sections 3517.14 to 3517.18 of
the Revised Code.

(O)
Make an annual report to the governor containing the results of
elections, the cost of elections in the various counties, a
tabulation of the votes in the several political subdivisions, and
other information and recommendations relative to elections the
secretary of state considers desirable;

(P)
Prescribe and distribute to boards of elections a list of
instructions indicating all legal steps necessary to petition
successfully for local option elections under sections 4301.32 to
4301.41, 4303.29, 4305.14, and 4305.15 of the Revised Code;

(Q)
Adopt rules pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code for the
removal by boards of elections of ineligible voters from the
statewide voter registration database and, if applicable, from the
poll list or signature pollbook used in each precinct, which rules
shall provide for all of the following:

(1)
A process for the removal of voters who have changed residence, which
shall be uniform, nondiscriminatory, and in compliance with the
Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the National Voter Registration Act of
1993, including a program that uses the national change of address
service provided by the United States postal system through its
licensees;

(2)
A process for the removal of ineligible voters under section 3503.21
of the Revised Code;

(3)
A uniform system for marking or removing the name of a voter who is
ineligible to vote from the statewide voter registration database
and, if applicable, from the poll list or signature pollbook used in
each precinct and noting the reason for that mark or removal.

(R)(1)
Prescribe a general program for registering voters or updating voter
registration information, such as name and residence changes, by
boards of elections, designated agencies, public high schools and
vocational schools, public libraries, and offices of county
treasurers consistent with the requirements of section 3503.09 of the
Revised Code;

(2)
Prescribe a general program for registering voters or updating voter
registration information through the registrar of motor vehicles and
deputy registrars, consistent with the requirements of section
3503.11 of the Revised Code.

(S)
Prescribe a program of distribution of voter registration forms
through boards of elections, designated agencies, offices of the
registrar and deputy registrars of motor vehicles, public high
schools and vocational schools, public libraries, and offices of
county treasurers;

(T)
To the extent feasible, provide copies, at no cost and upon request,
of the voter registration form in post offices in this state;

(U)
Adopt rules pursuant to section 111.15 of the Revised Code for the
purpose of implementing the programs for registering voters through
boards of elections, designated agencies, and the offices of the
registrar and deputy registrars of motor vehicles consistent with
this chapter;

(V)
Establish the full-time position of Americans with Disabilities Act
coordinator within the office of the secretary of state to do all of
the following:

(1)
Assist the secretary of state with ensuring that there is equal
access to polling places for persons with disabilities;

(2)
Assist the secretary of state with ensuring that each voter may cast
the voter's ballot in a manner that provides the same opportunity for
access and participation, including privacy and independence, as for
other voters;

(3)
Advise the secretary of state in the development of standards for the
certification of voting machines, marking devices, and automatic
tabulating equipment.

(W)
Establish and maintain a computerized statewide database of all
legally registered voters under section 3503.15 of the Revised Code
that complies with the requirements of the "Help America Vote
Act of 2002," Pub. L. No. 107-252, 116 Stat. 1666, and provide
training in the operation of that system;

(X)
Ensure that all directives, advisories, other instructions, or
decisions issued or made during or as a result of any conference or
teleconference call with a board of elections to discuss the proper
methods and procedures for conducting elections, to answer questions
regarding elections, or to discuss the interpretation of directives,
advisories, or other instructions issued by the secretary of state
are posted on a web site of the office of the secretary of state as
soon as is practicable after the completion of the conference or
teleconference call, but not later than the close of business on the
same day as the conference or teleconference call takes place.

(Y)
Publish a report on a web site of the office of the secretary of
state not later than one month after the completion of the canvass of
the election returns for each primary and general election,
identifying, by county, the number of absent voter's ballots cast and
the number of those ballots that were counted, and the number of
provisional ballots cast and the number of those ballots that were
counted, for that election. The secretary of state shall maintain the
information on the web site in an archive format for each subsequent
election.

(Z)
Conduct voter education outlining voter identification, absent voters
ballot, provisional ballot, and other voting requirements;

(AA)
Establish a procedure by which a registered elector may make
available to a board of elections a more recent signature to be used
in the poll list or signature pollbook produced by the board of
elections of the county in which the elector resides;

(BB)
Disseminate information, which may include all or part of the
official explanations and arguments, by means of direct mail or other
written publication, broadcast, or other means or combination of
means, as directed by the Ohio ballot board under division (F) of
section 3505.062 of the Revised Code, in order to inform the voters
as fully as possible concerning each proposed constitutional
amendment, proposed law, or referendum;

(CC)
Be the single state office responsible for the implementation of the
"Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act," Pub.
L. No. 99-410, 100 Stat. 924, 42 U.S.C. 1973ff, et seq., as amended,
in this state. The secretary of state may delegate to the boards of
elections responsibilities for the implementation of that act,
including responsibilities arising from amendments to that act made
by the "Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act,"
Subtitle H of the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2010," Pub. L. No. 111-84, 123 Stat. 3190.

(DD)
Adopt rules, under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, to establish
procedures and standards for determining when a board of elections
shall be placed under the official oversight of the secretary of
state, placing a board of elections under the official oversight of
the secretary of state, a board that is under official oversight to
transition out of official oversight, and the secretary of state to
supervise a board of elections that is under official oversight of
the secretary of state.

(EE)
Perform other duties required by law.

Whenever
a primary election is held under section 3513.32 of the Revised Code
or a special election is held under section 3521.03 of the Revised
Code to fill a vacancy in the office of representative to congress,
the secretary of state shall establish a deadline, notwithstanding
any other deadline required under the Revised Code, by which any or
all of the following shall occur: the filing of a declaration of
candidacy and petitions or a statement of candidacy and nominating
petition together with the applicable filing fee; the filing of
protests against the candidacy of any person filing a declaration of
candidacy or nominating petition; the filing of a declaration of
intent to be a write-in candidate; the filing of campaign finance
reports; the preparation of, and the making of corrections or
challenges to, precinct voter registration lists; the receipt of
applications for absent voter's ballots or uniformed services or
overseas absent voter's ballots; the supplying of election materials
to precincts by boards of elections; the holding of hearings by
boards of elections to consider challenges to the right of a person
to appear on a voter registration list; and the scheduling of
programs to instruct or reinstruct election officers.

In
the performance of the secretary of state's duties as the chief
election officer, the secretary of state may administer oaths, issue
subpoenas

within or without the state
,
summon witnesses, compel the production of books, papers, records,
and other evidence, and fix the time and place for hearing any
matters relating to the administration and enforcement of the
election laws, including for the purposes described in division
(N)(2) of this section.

In
any controversy involving or arising out of the adoption of
registration or the appropriation of funds for registration, the
secretary of state may, through the attorney general, bring an action
in the name of the state in the court of common pleas of the county
where the cause of action arose or in an adjoining county, to
adjudicate the question.

In
any action involving the laws in Title XXXV of the Revised Code
wherein the interpretation of those laws is in issue in such a manner
that the result of the action will affect the lawful duties of the
secretary of state or of any board of elections, the secretary of
state may, on the secretary of state's motion, be made a party.

The
secretary of state may apply to any court that is hearing a case in
which the secretary of state is a party, for a change of venue as a
substantive right, and the change of venue shall be allowed, and the
case removed to the court of common pleas of an adjoining county
named in the application or, if there are cases pending in more than
one jurisdiction that involve the same or similar issues, the court
of common pleas of Franklin county.

Public
high schools and vocational schools, public libraries, and the office
of a county treasurer shall implement voter registration programs as
directed by the secretary of state pursuant to this section.

Sec.
3501.055.
(A)
There is in the office of the secretary of state the election
integrity unit.

(B)
Under the direction of the secretary of state, the election integrity
unit shall do all of the following:

(1)
Investigate alleged violations of Title XXXV of the Revised Code on
the unit's own initiative, upon receiving a complaint under this
section, or upon the filing of a complaint with the secretary of
state under section 3517.16 of the Revised Code;

(2)
Allow the public to submit allegations of violations of Title XXXV of
the Revised Code to the unit;

(3)
Submit a report to the governor and the general assembly not later
than the fifteenth day of January of each year. The report shall
include all of the following with respect to the previous calendar
year:

(a)
The number of allegations the unit received from members of the
public;

(b)
The number of allegations the unit investigated on its own
initiative;

(c)
The number of allegations the unit referred to another agency for
further investigation or prosecution;

(d)
All of the following concerning each allegation:

(i)
The general nature of the allegation;

(ii)
The county in which the violation is alleged to have occurred;

(iii)
Whether the allegation has been referred to another agency for
further investigation or prosecution, and if so, to which agency;

(iv)
The current status of the investigation or any resulting criminal or
civil proceeding.

(C)
In performing its duties, the election integrity unit may administer
oaths, issue subpoenas

within or without the state
,
summon witnesses, compel the production of books, papers, records,
and other evidence, and hold hearings.

(D)
Within one year after receiving a referral for further investigation
or prosecution from the election integrity unit, the prosecuting
attorney shall either prosecute the violation or provide to the
election integrity unit a written statement declining to prosecute
the referral or requesting any additional evidence needed. If the
prosecuting attorney requests additional evidence, the election
integrity unit shall provide such evidence, if available, within
ninety days after receiving the request. Within one hundred eighty
days after receiving the additional evidence, the prosecuting
attorney either shall prosecute the violation or provide a written
statement to the election integrity unit explaining a reason for
declining to prosecute. If the prosecuting attorney fails to provide
this statement within one hundred eighty days after receiving the
additional evidence, the election integrity unit may refer the
violation to the attorney general for further investigation or
prosecution.

Sec.
3503.02.
All
registrars and precinct election officials, in determining the
residence of a person offering to register or vote, shall be governed
by the following rules:

(A)
That place shall be considered the residence of a person in which the
person's habitation is fixed and to which, whenever the person is
absent, the person has the intention of returning.

(B)
A person shall not be considered to have lost the person's residence
who leaves the person's home and goes into another state or county of
this state, for temporary purposes only, with the intention of
returning.

(C)
A person shall not be considered to have gained a residence in any
county of this state into which the person comes for temporary
purposes only, without the intention of making such county the
permanent place of abode.

(D)
The place where the family of a married person resides shall be
considered to be the person's place of residence; except that when
the spouses have separated and live apart, the place where such a
spouse resides the length of time required to entitle a person to
vote shall be considered to be the spouse's place of residence.

(E)
If a person removes to another state with the intention of making
such state the person's residence, the person shall be considered to
have lost the person's residence in this state.

(F)
Except as otherwise provided in division (G) of this section, if a
person removes from this state and continuously resides outside this
state for a period of four years or more, the person shall be
considered to have lost the person's residence in this state,
notwithstanding the fact that the person may entertain an intention
to return at some future period.

(G)(1)
If a person removes from this state to engage in the services of the
United States government, the person shall not be considered to have
lost the person's residence in this state, and likewise should the
person enter the employment of the state, the place where such person
resided at the time of the person's removal shall be considered to be
the person's place of residence.

(2)
If a person removes from this state to a location outside of the
United States and the person does not become a resident of another
state, the person shall not be considered to have lost the person's
residence in this state. The place where the person resided at the
time of the person's removal shall be considered to be the person's
place of residence.

(3)
If a person is eligible to vote in this state under division (D)(2)
of section 3511.011 of the Revised Code, the place where the person's
parent or legal guardian resided in this state prior to that parent
or legal guardian's removal to a location outside of the United
States shall be considered to be the person's place of residence.

(4)
If an address that is considered to be a person's place of residence
under division (G) of this section ceases to be a recognized
residential address, the board of elections shall assign an address
to the applicable person for voting purposes.

(H)
If a person goes into another state and while there exercises the
right of a citizen by

voting

registering to vote in that state
,
the person shall be considered to have lost the person's residence in
this state.

(I)
If a person does not have a fixed place of habitation, but has a
shelter or other location at which the person has been a consistent
or regular inhabitant and to which the person has the intention of
returning, that shelter or other location shall be deemed the
person's residence for the purpose of registering to vote.

Sec.
3503.14.
(A)
The secretary of state shall prescribe the form and content of the
registration, change of residence, and change of name forms used in
this state. The forms shall meet the requirements of the National
Voter Registration Act of 1993 and shall include spaces for all of
the following:

(1)
The voter's name;

(2)
The voter's
current
residence
address;

(3)
The current date;

(4)
The voter's date of birth;

(5)
The voter to provide at least one of the following forms of
identification:

(a)
The voter's Ohio driver's license or state identification card
number;

(b)
The last four digits of the voter's social security number.

(6)

A
space for the voter to provide the voter's former residence address
in this state or another state, if the voter is currently registered
to vote at that address.

(7)

The
voter's signature
,
accompanied by the following statement: "I declare under penalty
of election falsification I am a citizen of the United States, will
have lived in this state for 30 days immediately preceding the next
election, and will be at least 18 years of age at the time of the
general election. I understand that if I am registered to vote at
another address in Ohio, my registration will be transferred. If I am
registered to vote in another state, I request that my previous voter
registration be canceled."

The
forms shall include the following statement:

"WHOEVER
COMMITS ELECTION FALSIFICATION IS GUILTY OF A FELONY OF THE FIFTH
DEGREE
.
"

The
registration form shall include a space on which the person
registering an applicant shall sign the person's name and provide the
person's address and a space on which the person registering an
applicant shall name the employer who is employing that person to
register the applicant.

The
forms shall include a box for the person filling out the form to
check to indicate, if applicable, that the person has filled out all
or part of the form on behalf of the applicant because the applicant
declares that the applicant requires such assistance by reason of
blindness, disability, or illiteracy.

Except
for forms prescribed by the secretary of state under section 3503.11
of the Revised Code, the secretary of state shall permit boards of
elections to produce forms that have subdivided spaces for each
individual alphanumeric character of the information provided by the
voter so as to accommodate the electronic reading and conversion of
the voter's information to data and the subsequent electronic
transfer of that data to the statewide voter registration database
established under section 3503.15 of the Revised Code.

(B)
None of the following persons who are registering an applicant in the
course of that official's or employee's normal duties shall sign the
person's name, provide the person's address, or name the employer who
is employing the person to register an applicant on a form prepared
under this section:

(1)
An election official;

(2)
A county treasurer;

(3)
A deputy registrar of motor vehicles;

(4)
An employee of a designated agency;

(5)
An employee of a public high school;

(6)
An employee of a public vocational school;

(7)
An employee of a public library;

(8)
An employee of the office of a county treasurer;

(9)
An employee of the bureau of motor vehicles;

(10)
An employee of a deputy registrar of motor vehicles;

(11)
An employee of an election official.

(C)
Except as provided in section 3501.382 of the Revised Code, any
applicant who is unable to sign the applicant's own name shall make
an "X," if possible, which shall be certified by the
signing of the name of the applicant by the person filling out the
form, who shall add the person's own signature. If an applicant is
unable to make an "X," the applicant shall indicate in some
manner that the applicant desires to register to vote or to change
the applicant's name or residence. The person registering the
applicant shall sign the form and attest that the applicant indicated
that the applicant desired to register to vote or to change the
applicant's name or residence.

(D)
No registration, change of residence, or change of name form shall be
rejected solely on the basis that a person registering an applicant
failed to sign the person's name or failed to name the employer who
is employing that person to register the applicant as required under
division (A) of this section.

(E)

(E)(1)
A voter registration application is not required to contain the
voter's former residence address to be considered valid.

(2)

A
voter registration application submitted electronically through the
registrar of motor vehicles or a deputy registrar pursuant to section
3503.11 or submitted online through the internet pursuant to section
3503.20 of the Revised Code is not required to contain a signature to
be considered valid. The signature obtained under division (A)(3) of
section 3503.11 or under division (B) of section 3503.20 of the
Revised Code, as applicable, shall be considered the applicant's
signature for all election and signature-matching purposes.

(F)(1)
Except as otherwise provided in division (C) of this section and in
sections 3501.382 and 3505.24 of the Revised Code, no person shall
preprint or fill out any portion of a voter registration, change of
residence, or change of name form on behalf of an applicant.

(2)
A completed voter registration, change of residence, or change of
name form is not valid if any portion of it has been completed by any
person other than the applicant in violation of division (F)(1) of
this section.

(G)
As used in this section, "registering an applicant"
includes any effort, for compensation, to provide voter registration
forms or to assist persons in completing or returning those forms.

Sec.
3503.21.
(A)
The registration of a registered elector shall be canceled upon the
occurrence of any of the following:

(1)
The filing by a registered elector of a written request with a board
of elections or the secretary of state, on a form prescribed by the
secretary of state and signed by the elector, that the registration
be canceled. The filing of such a request does not prohibit an
otherwise qualified elector from reregistering to vote at any time.

(2)
The filing of a notice of the death of a registered elector as
provided in section 3503.18 of the Revised Code;

(3)
The filing with the board of elections of a certified copy of the
death certificate of a registered elector by the deceased elector's
spouse, parent, or child, by the administrator of the deceased
elector's estate, or by the executor of the deceased elector's will;

(4)
The conviction of the registered elector of a felony under the laws
of this state, any other state, or the United States as provided in
section 2961.01 of the Revised Code;

(5)
The adjudication of incompetency of the registered elector for the
purpose of voting as provided in section 5122.301 of the Revised
Code;

(6)
The change of residence of the registered elector to a location
outside the county of registration in accordance with division (B) of
this section

or as described in section 3503.33, 3503.34, or 3503.35 of the
Revised Code
;

(7)
The failure of the registered elector, after having been mailed a
confirmation notice, to do either of the following:

(a)
Respond to such a notice and vote at least once during a period of
four consecutive years, which period shall include two general
federal elections;

(b)
Update the elector's registration and vote at least once during a
period of four consecutive years, which period shall include two
general federal elections.

(8)
The receipt by the board of elections of a cancellation notice or
request pursuant to section 111.44 of the Revised Code;

(9)
The receipt by the board of elections of a report from the secretary
of state indicating that the person is not a United States citizen,
as described in division (B)(1) of section 3503.152 of the Revised
Code;

(10)
The circumstances described in division (D)(4) of section 3503.201 of
the Revised Code;

(11)
The circumstances described in section 111.44 of the Revised Code;

(12)
The circumstances described in division (Q) of section 3501.05 of the
Revised Code;

(13)
The circumstances described in division (C) of section 3503.24 of the
Revised Code;

(14)
The determination by the board of elections that the elector is a
fictitious person;

(15)
The determination by the board of elections that the registration is
a duplicate.

(B)(1)
The secretary of state shall prescribe procedures to identify and
cancel the registration in a prior county of residence of any
registrant who changes the registrant's voting residence to a
location outside the registrant's current county of registration. Any
procedures prescribed in this division shall be uniform and
nondiscriminatory, and shall comply with the Voting Rights Act of
1965. The secretary of state may prescribe procedures under this
division that include the use of the national change of address
service provided by the United States postal system through its
licensees. Any program so prescribed shall be completed not later
than ninety days prior to the date of any primary or general election
for federal office.

(2)
The registration of any elector identified as having changed the
elector's voting residence to a location outside the elector's
current county of registration shall not be canceled unless the
registrant is sent a confirmation notice on a form prescribed by the
secretary of state and the registrant fails to respond to the
confirmation notice or otherwise update the registration and fails to
vote in any election during the period of two federal elections
subsequent to the mailing of the confirmation notice.

(C)
The registration of a registered elector shall not be canceled except
as provided in this section.

(D)
Boards of elections shall send their voter registration information
to the secretary of state as required under section 3503.15 of the
Revised Code. The secretary of state may prescribe by rule adopted
pursuant to section 111.15 of the Revised Code the format in which
the boards of elections must send that information to the secretary
of state. In the first quarter of each year, the secretary of state
shall send the information to the national change of address service
described in division (B) of this section and request that service to
provide the secretary of state with a list of any voters sent by the
secretary of state who have moved within the last twelve months. The
secretary of state shall transmit to each appropriate board of
elections whatever lists the secretary of state receives from that
service. The board shall send a notice to each person on the list
transmitted by the secretary of state requesting confirmation of the
person's change of address, together with a postage prepaid,
preaddressed return envelope containing a form on which the voter may
verify or correct the change of address information.

(E)
The registration of a registered elector described in division (A)(7)
or (B)(2) of this section shall be canceled not later than one
hundred twenty days after the date of the second general federal
election in which the elector fails to vote or not later than one
hundred twenty days after the expiration of the four-year period in
which the elector fails to vote or respond to a confirmation notice,
whichever is later.

(F)(1)
When a registration is canceled pursuant to this section, the
applicable board of elections shall send a written notice, on a form
prescribed by the secretary of state, to the address at which the
elector was registered, informing the recipient that the elector's
registration has been canceled, of the reason for the cancellation,
and that if the cancellation was made in error, the elector may
contact the board of elections to correct the error.

(2)
If the elector's registration is canceled in error, it shall be
restored and treated as though it were never canceled.

Sec.
3503.33.
(A)

If
an elector applying for registration is already registered
in
another state or
in
another county within this state, the
elector
shall declare this fact to the registration officer and shall sign

elector's
registration application is
an
authorization to
cancel

transfer

the

elector's

previous
registration

on a form prescribed by the secretary of state

to the board of elections of the elector's new county
.

The
director of the board
(B)
When, based on the information in the statewide voter registration
database, it becomes apparent that an elector who is registered to
vote in one county has registered to vote in a new county, the
secretary of state shall instruct the boards
of
elections
shall
mail all such authorizations
of
both counties
to

the
board of elections or comparable agency of the proper state and

confirm
that the registration records are for the same elector and, if so, to
securely transmit a copy of the elector's previous registration
record to the board of elections of the elector's new
county.

Upon
the receipt of this authorization from the forwarding county, the
director of a
The

board
of elections
in
Ohio, upon a comparison of the elector's signature with the elector's
signature as it appears on the registration files,
of
the elector's previous county
shall
remove the elector's
previous

registration

record

from
the files
,

and place it
with
the cancellation authorization
in
a separate file which shall be kept for a period of two calendar
years.
The
board shall notify the elector at the present address as shown on the
cancellation authorization that his registration has been canceled.

(C)
The secretary of state shall provide procedures for the boards of
elections to follow under division (B) of this section, including
procedures to ensure the secure transmission of voter registration
records between the boards.

Sec.
3503.34.
(A)(1)
If an elector applying for registration in another state is already
registered in this state, and the elector provides the elector's
former residence address in this state or otherwise indicates that
the elector is registered in this state and requests on the
registration form that the elector's previous registration be
canceled, the elector's registration application is an authorization
to cancel the elector's registration in this state.

(2)
Upon receiving a copy of the elector's registration application in
the other state from an appropriate election official of that state,
the secretary of state promptly shall transmit the application to the
appropriate board of elections. The board shall compare the
information in the application with the board's records and, if it
determines that the elector in the board's records is the same
elector who submitted the application, shall cancel the elector's
registration and place it in a separate file, which shall be kept for
a period of two calendar years.

(B)(1)
If an elector applying for registration in this state is already
registered in another state and the elector provides the elector's
former residence address or otherwise indicates that the elector is
registered in the other state and requests on the registration form
that the elector's previous registration be canceled, the elector's
registration application is an authorization to cancel the elector's
previous registration. Upon processing the registration application,
the board of elections shall transmit the elector's new registration
record and a copy of the elector's new registration form to the
secretary of state in the manner prescribed by the secretary of
state.

(2)
Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(3) of this section, at
least once per calendar quarter, the secretary of state shall
securely transmit a report to the chief election official of each
state from which one or more electors has moved to Ohio since the
last report was transmitted to that state under this division. The
report shall include, for each elector identified as having moved to
Ohio from that state since the last report was transmitted, the
information in the elector's new registration record, a copy of the
elector's new registration form, and any other information requested
by the chief election official of that state that is necessary for
voter roll maintenance.

(3)
Before first transmitting a report to the chief election official of
a state under division (B)(2) of this section, the secretary of state
shall enter into an agreement with that chief election official for
the secretary of state to transmit the reports. The secretary of
state shall not transmit a report under division (B)(2) of this
section to any state with which the secretary of state does not have
such an agreement. The agreement shall include procedures to ensure
that the information in the reports that is not a public record
subject to disclosure under section 3503.13 of the Revised Code is
disclosed only to the appropriate election officials in that state
for the purpose of voter roll maintenance and is not inadvertently
disclosed to any other person or for any other purpose.

(C)
At least once per calendar quarter, the secretary of state shall
submit to the general assembly a report of all of the following:

(1)
The total number of electors concerning whom the secretary of state
received reports from the chief election officials of other states
since the last report prepared under division (C) of this section,
indicating that the electors have moved to another state, and how
many of those electors' registrations in this state have been
canceled under division (A) of this section;

(2)
The total number of electors whose information the secretary of state
transmitted to the chief election officials of other states under
division (B)(2) of this section since the last report prepared under
division (C) of this section;

(3)
The information described in division (C)(2) of this section,
disaggregated by state.

Sec.
3503.35.
Upon
receiving notice from an appropriate election official in another
state that an elector has registered to vote in that state, other
than under division (A) of section 3503.34 of the Revised Code, the
secretary of state shall notify the board of elections of the county
in which the elector is registered to vote and the board promptly
shall cancel the elector's registration.

Sec.
3517.14.
(A)(1)
There is in the office of the secretary of state the Ohio election
integrity commission, consisting of the following five members

and two alternate members
:

(a)
A chairperson appointed by the secretary of state;

(b)
One member appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(c)
One member appointed by the minority leader of the house of
representatives;

(d)
One member appointed by the president of the senate;

(e)
One member appointed by the senate minority leader
;

(f)
One alternate member appointed by the secretary of state;

(g)
One alternate member appointed by the legislative leader of the
largest political party in the senate of which the secretary of state
is not a member
.

(2)(a)
Subject to division (A)(2)(b) of this section, each member of the
commission shall be a registered elector to whom at least one of the
following applies:

(i)
The person is an attorney in good standing before the supreme court
of Ohio.

(ii)
The person has at least four years of work experience in election
administration.

(b)
At all times, at least three members of the commission shall be
attorneys in good standing before the supreme court of Ohio. If, at
any time that multiple appointments to the commission are made
simultaneously, too few of the intended appointees are attorneys, the
following appointing officials shall have priority in selecting their
preferred appointees who are not attorneys, in the order stated, and
the appointing officials with lower priority shall select appointees
who are attorneys: the secretary of state, the speaker of the house
of representatives, the president of the senate, the senate minority
leader, and the house minority leader.

(c)
Each alternate member or temporary alternate member of the commission
shall be a registered elector who is an attorney in good standing
before the supreme court of Ohio.

(3)
The members of the commission appointed under divisions (A)(1)(a),
(c), and (d) of this section shall serve initial terms of four years
beginning on January 1, 2026, and the members appointed under
divisions (A)(1)(b) and (e) of this section shall serve initial terms
of two years beginning on January 1, 2026. Thereafter, all terms
shall be four years.

(4)
The alternate members of the commission shall serve initial terms
ending on December 31, 2028. The next alternate members shall serve
terms of two years beginning on January 1, 2029, and thereafter, all
terms of alternate members shall be two years.

(B)
Each member
or
alternate member
of
the commission shall hold office from the date of the member's
appointment until the end of the term for which the member was
appointed. A member
or
alternate member
appointed
to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for
which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for
the remainder of that term. A member
or
alternate member
shall
continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's
term until the member's successor takes office or until a period of
sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.

(C)
A vacancy on the commission may be caused by death or resignation or
by removal under division (I) of this section. Any vacancy shall be
filled in the same manner as for the original appointment.

(D)

(D)(1)

Each
member of the commission while in the performance of the business of
the commission shall be entitled to receive compensation at the rate
of twenty-five thousand dollars per year.
Members

(2)
Each alternate member or temporary alternate member of the commission
shall receive compensation at the rate of five hundred dollars per
matter heard under division (B) of section 3517.15 of the Revised
Code.

(3)
Members, alternate members, and temporary alternate members
shall
be reimbursed for expenses actually and necessarily incurred in the
performance of their duties.

(E)
No member of the commission shall serve for more than two successive
terms of four years. Terms are considered successive unless separated
by a period of at least four years. In determining a person's
eligibility to be a member of the commission, all of the following
apply:

(1)
Time spent as a member in fulfillment of a term to which another
person was first appointed shall not be considered, provided that a
period of at least four years has passed between the time, if any,
when the person previously was a member and the time the person is
appointed to fulfill the unexpired term.

(2)
A person who is appointed to serve a full term and resigns before
completing the term is considered to have served the full term.

(3)
A two-year term served under division (A)(3) of this section is
considered a full term of four years.

(F)(1)
No member
,
alternate member, or temporary alternate member

of the Ohio election integrity commission shall do or be any of the
following:

(a)
Hold, or be a candidate for, an elected public office;

(b)
Serve on a committee supporting or opposing a candidate or ballot
question or issue;

(c)
Be an officer of the state central committee, a county central
committee, or a district, city, township, or other committee of a
political party or an officer of the executive committee of the state
central committee, a county central committee, or a district, city,
township, or other committee of a political party;

(d)
Be a legislative agent as defined in section 101.70 of the Revised
Code or an executive agency lobbyist as defined in section 121.60 of
the Revised Code;

(e)
Solicit or be involved in soliciting contributions on behalf of a
candidate, campaign committee, political party, legislative campaign
fund, political action committee, or political contributing entity;

(f)
Be compensated for providing goods or services to a candidate,
campaign committee, political party, legislative campaign fund,
political action committee, or political contributing entity;

(g)
Be a person or employee who is excluded from the definition of public
employee pursuant to division (C) of section 4117.01 of the Revised
Code.

(2)
No member
,
alternate member, or temporary alternate member

of the commission shall make a contribution to, or for the benefit
of, a campaign committee or committee in support of or opposition to
a ballot question or issue, a political party, a legislative campaign
fund, a political action committee, or a political contributing
entity.

(G)(1)
The commission shall meet at the call of the chairperson or upon the
written request of a majority of the members. The meetings and
hearings of the commission under sections 3517.15 to 3517.18 of the
Revised Code are subject to section 121.22 of the Revised Code.

(2)
The commission shall adopt rules for its procedures in accordance
with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. Four of the five members
constitute a quorum. Except as otherwise provided in this section and
in sections 3517.15 to 3517.18 of the Revised Code, no action shall
be taken without the concurrence of a majority of the members.

(H)
The secretary of state shall employ the technical, professional, and
clerical employees that are necessary for the commission to carry out
its duties, and the attorney general shall provide legal counsel to
the commission upon the commission's request.

(I)(1)
The secretary of state, the speaker or minority leader of the house
of representatives, or the president or minority leader of the senate
may file a complaint in the supreme court of Ohio, seeking the
removal of a member
,
alternate member, or temporary alternate member

of the commission on any of the following grounds:

(a)
That the member does not meet the applicable requirements of division
(A)(2) of this section;

(b)
That the member has violated division (F) of this section;

(c)

That

In
the case of a regular member, that
the
member has been absent from three or more meetings of the commission
in a calendar year;

(d)
That the member is guilty of misconduct in office, as described in
section 3.07 of the Revised Code.

(2)
The court shall hear a complaint filed with it under division (I)(1)
of this section on an expedited basis. If the court determines that
the charges in the complaint are true, the court shall order the
member removed from the commission, and the seat shall be considered
vacant.

Sec.
3517.15.
(A)(1)
No prosecution shall commence for a violation of a provision in
sections 145.054, 742.043, 3307.073, 3309.073, 3517.08 to 3517.12,
3517.13, 3517.20 to 3517.22, 3599.03, 3599.031, or 5505.045 of the
Revised Code unless a complaint has been filed with the secretary of
state under section 3517.16 of the Revised Code and all proceedings
under sections 3517.16 to 3517.18 of the Revised Code are completed.

(2)
A complaint may be filed with the secretary of state under section
3517.16 of the Revised Code for a violation of a provision in
sections 3501.35, 3599.13, 3599.14, or 3599.21, division (A) of
section 3599.11, or division (A)(1) or (2) of section 3599.12 of the
Revised Code that occurs on or after

the effective date of this amendment

September 30, 2025
.
A prosecution may commence for a violation of such a provision at any
time before or after a complaint has been filed with the secretary of
state under section 3517.16 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1)
The Ohio election integrity commission shall hear all matters
referred to the commission by the secretary of state under division
(E)(3) of section 3517.16 of the Revised Code.

(2)

No
member, alternate member, or temporary alternate member of the
commission shall participate in any meeting, deliberation, or vote on
any matter in which the person is a party, is involved, or otherwise
has a conflict of interest. A member, alternate member, or temporary
alternate member shall recuse the person's self from any such matter.
A member, alternate member, or temporary alternate member may recuse
the person's self from any other matter to avoid any appearance of
impropriety.

(3)
When a member is recused under division (B)(2) of this section, the
alternate member of the commission who was appointed by an authority
who is a member of the same political party as the authority that
appointed the recused member shall serve in the recused member's
place, solely for the purpose of participating in any meeting,
deliberation, or vote on the relevant matter. An alternate member
shall participate in no other meeting, deliberation, or vote of the
commission.

(4)
When an alternate member is recused under division (B)(2) of this
section or is unavailable to serve in place of a member because
multiple members are recused, the authority who appointed the
alternate member shall appoint a temporary alternate member to serve
in the alternate member's place, solely for the purpose of
participating in any meeting, deliberation, or vote on the relevant
matter. A temporary alternate member shall participate in no other
meeting, deliberation, or vote of the commission. The temporary
alternate member's term of office ends at the disposition of the
relevant matter.

(5)
When a temporary alternate member is recused under division (B)(2) of
this section, the authority who appointed the temporary alternate
member shall appoint another temporary alternate member in accordance
with division (B)(4) of this section.

(C)

The
commission may recommend legislation and render advisory opinions
concerning the provisions of the Revised Code listed in division (A)
of this section for persons over whose acts the commission has or may
have jurisdiction. When the commission renders an advisory opinion
relating to a specific set of circumstances involving any of those
sections stating that there is no violation of a provision in those
sections, the person to whom the opinion is directed or a person who
is similarly situated may reasonably rely on the opinion and is
immune from criminal prosecution and a civil action, including,
without limitation, a civil action for removal from public office or
employment, based on facts and circumstances covered by the opinion.
An advisory opinion issued by the Ohio elections commission that is
in effect as of
the
effective date of this amendment
September
30, 2025,
is
considered an advisory opinion of the Ohio election integrity
commission, unless and until the Ohio election integrity commission
amends or rescinds the advisory opinion.

(C)

(D)

The
secretary of state and the boards of elections shall furnish the
information that the commission requests. The commission or a member
of the commission may administer oaths, and the commission may issue
subpoenas to any person in the state compelling the attendance of
witnesses and the production of relevant papers, books, accounts, and
reports. Section 101.42 of the Revised Code governs the issuance of
subpoenas insofar as applicable. Upon the refusal of any person to
obey a subpoena or to be sworn or to answer as a witness, the
commission may apply to the court of common pleas of Franklin county
under section 2705.03 of the Revised Code. The court shall hold
proceedings in accordance with Chapter 2705. of the Revised Code.

(D)

(E)

The
Ohio election integrity commission shall establish a web site on
which it shall post, at a minimum, all decisions and advisory
opinions issued by the commission, all decisions and advisory
opinions issued by the Ohio elections commission before

the effective date of this amendment

September 30, 2025
,
and copies of each election law as it is amended by the general
assembly. The Ohio election integrity commission shall update the web
site regularly to reflect any changes to those decisions and advisory
opinions and any new decisions and advisory opinions.

Sec.
3517.16.
(A)(1)
Any person who has personal knowledge of a violation of a provision
of the Revised Code listed in division (A) of section 3517.15 of the
Revised Code may file a complaint with the secretary of state, on a
form prescribed by the secretary of state and signed under penalty of
perjury.

(2)
An official at a board of elections may file a complaint with the
secretary of state, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state
and signed under penalty of perjury, alleging a violation of a
provision of the Revised Code listed in division (A) of section
3517.15 of the Revised Code.

(3)
The election integrity unit of the office of the secretary of state
may initiate a complaint alleging a violation of a provision of the
Revised Code listed in division (A) of section 3517.16 of the Revised
Code.

(B)(1)
Subject to division (F) of this section, the election integrity unit
shall review each complaint filed with the secretary of state under
division (A)(1) or (2) of this section. If the complaint does not
allege a violation of a provision of the Revised Code listed in
division (A) of section 3517.15 of the Revised Code or, in the case
of a complaint filed under division (A)(1) of this section, is not
based on personal knowledge, the secretary of state shall dismiss the
complaint. Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this
section, a dismissal under this division is without prejudice.

(2)
After a complaint is dismissed under division (B)(1) of this section
on the ground that the complaint is not based on personal knowledge,
if the same person files another complaint alleging the same or a
substantially similar violation and the complaint is not based on
personal knowledge, the secretary of state shall dismiss the
complaint with prejudice.

(3)
If the complaint is not dismissed under division (B)(1) or (2) of
this section, the election integrity unit shall investigate the
complaint.

(C)
Subject to division (F) of this section, the election integrity unit
shall draft a report to the secretary of state concerning each
complaint filed under division (A) of this section that is not
dismissed under division (B) of this section. The report shall
recommend that the secretary of state make a particular finding and,
if applicable, impose a fine or refer the matter for prosecution, in
accordance with section 3517.17 of the Revised Code.

(D)
The election integrity unit may join two or more complaints if the
unit determines that the allegations in each complaint are of the
same or similar character, are based on the same act or failure to
act, or are based on two or more acts or failures to act constituting
parts of a common scheme or plan. If one complaint contains two or
more allegations, the unit may separate the allegations if they are
not of the same or similar character, if they are not based on the
same act or failure to act, or if they are not based on two or more
acts or failures to act constituting parts of a common scheme or
plan. If the unit separates the allegations in a complaint, the unit
may make separate recommendations under division (C) of this section
for each allegation.

(E)(1)
Upon receiving the recommendation of the election integrity unit
under division (C) of this section, the secretary of state shall
review the report and recommendation and shall do one of the
following:

(a)
Refer the matter back to the unit for further investigation and a
revised recommendation under division (C) of this section;

(b)
Make a finding in accordance with section 3517.17 of the Revised
Code, and, if applicable, impose a fine or refer the matter for
prosecution.

(2)
The secretary of state shall serve notice of the secretary of state's
decision under division (E)(1)(b) of this section on the person who
is alleged to have committed the violation in accordance with section
119.05 of the Revised Code.

(3)
If

the secretary of state finds that a violation has occurred and
imposes a fine and
,
within fourteen days after service of the notice is complete under
section 119.05 of the Revised Code, the person objects to the
secretary of state's decision, the secretary of state shall not
impose
a

the

fine

or
refer the matter for prosecution,
and
immediately shall refer the matter to the Ohio election integrity
commission for its determination under section 3517.17 of the Revised
Code.

(4)
If
the
secretary of state finds that a violation has occurred and imposes a
fine and
the
person does not object to the secretary of state's decision within
fourteen days after receiving the notice, the secretary of state's
decision is final and
,
if applicable,

the secretary of state shall impose
a

the

fine

or refer the matter for prosecution as determined under division
(E)(1)(b) of this section
.

(F)(1)
If any of the following apply to a complaint, the secretary of state
shall proceed under division (F)(2) of this section:

(a)
The secretary of state is a party to the complaint.

(b)
A candidate for an office for which the secretary of state is also a
candidate is a party to the complaint or is otherwise involved in the
complaint.

(c)
The complaint involves a contribution, expenditure, or independent
expenditure made to advocate the election or defeat of the secretary
of state or a candidate for an office for which the secretary of
state is also a candidate.

(d)
The secretary of state determines that the secretary of state
otherwise has a conflict of interest with respect to the complaint or
that the secretary of state should proceed under division (F)(2) of
this section to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

(2)
Notwithstanding any contrary provision of divisions (B) to (E) of
this section, when division (F)(1) of this section applies to a
complaint, the secretary of state shall request the attorney general
to designate one or more persons to fulfill the duties of the
election integrity unit described in divisions (B) to (D) of this
section. The attorney general shall designate those persons and shall
fulfill the duties of the secretary of state under divisions (B) to
(D) of this section.

Section
2.
That
existing sections
109.71,
109.77, 2935.01, 3501.05, 3501.055, 3503.02,
3503.14,
3503.21, 3503.33
,
3517.14, 3517.15, and 3517.16

of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.

Section
3.
Sections
3503.14, 3503.21, 3503.33, 3503.34, and 3503.35 of the Revised Code,
as amended or enacted by this act, shall be known as the Interstate
Voter Assistance Act.