Scheme to mail absentee ballot applications to voters has merit

With Ohio poised to BE THE STATE that determines the winner of the 2016 presidential election, Secretary of State Jon Husted isn’t leaving anything to chance, as his recent request for state dollars from the General Assembly illustrates.

Husted, a Republican, has asked the GOP leadership in the Legislature to set aside $1.25 million to pay for the mailing of unsolicited absentee-ballot applications to voters ahead of next year’s presidential election.

“In the grand scheme of things, $1.25 million is a small price to pay to ensure that when all eyes are on Ohio, we deliver another smooth presidential election,” Assistant Secretary of State Matt Damschroder said in written testimony delivered to a legislative panel.

There should not be any hesitation on the part of lawmakers to approve the funding, seeing as how Husted, the state’s elections chief, has sent out unsolicited absentee-ballot applications in 2012 and 2014. It cost $1.5 million three years ago, and $985,000 last year — with all the money coming from the federal government through the Help America Vote Act. But that money has now run out, which is why Husted has asked the GOP-controlled General Assembly for funds.

It is noteworthy that an increasing number of Ohioans are casting their ballot through the mail. In the not so distant past, absentee voting was restricted to those who met one of several specific conditions, such as the health of the voter. But once lawmakers removed restrictions to absentee voting, the number of Ohioans taking advantage of this convenience has increased each year.

Bitter memory

In the 2012 presidential election, one-third of Ohioans who cast ballots did so before Election Day, primarily by mail. As a result, the debacle of the 2004 presidential contest is just a memory — albeit a bitter one. The federal government, along with national voting-rights organizations, the League of Women Voters and other groups investigated, uncovered major problems and demanded changes.

Since then, Ohio has made great strides in redeeming its reputation, first under Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and now under Republican Husted.

While we have disagreed with Husted’s moves to reduce the number of early-voting days and to eliminate Golden Week, during which an ndividual could register to vote and cast a ballot on the same day, we support his goal of making sure that every Ohioan who is eligible to vote does so through easy access to the ballot box.

The mailing of unsolicited absentee-ballot applications is an important part of the outreach campaign.