Monday brings an end to the first round of online voter registration in Ohio, a change that Secretary of State Jon Husted has been pushing for for years.
Monday is the final day that Franklin County residents can register for the May primary. Voters will weigh in on 16 different issues, including for members of City Council and the Board of Education.
In 2017, Ohio became the 38th state to implement online voter registration. According to a report by the Pew Research Center, this minor modernization has a number of benefits.
According the Pew report, online registration is more accessible, especially for young adults who tend to move more frequently. And because it's instantly cross checked by records at the BMV, it's more accurate than the standard paper system.
Online voter registration can also help defuse partisan disputes over the integrity of our elections and it can save Ohio some $3 million every four-year election cycle.
Secretary of State John Husted has been pushing for the switch for years.
"It's convenient, it's cost saving, and it's more secure," Husted says. "I'm finally glad that we've been able to launch it in Ohio."
After the 2016 election, Husted reported that 821 non-citizens had registered to vote since 2013. He says online voter registration modernized the state's election system and will help keep voter rolls updated and protected.
