View Scorecard for Year
Responsive Gov’s Grade TL;DR
Ohio continued its trend of late-session restrictions by eliminating the post-election grace period for mail ballots. This change, alongside new mandates for boards of elections to conduct citizenship checks during registration, creates new hurdles for both voters and administrators. Reflecting this increasingly restrictive environment, Ohio received a C- on this year’s progress report.
Looking Back
Where Ohio Started at the Beginning of 2025
- Automatic Voter Registration: No
- Online Voter Registration: DMV ID
- Same-Day Registration: No
- Restoration of Rights: Prison Disenfranchisement
- Vote by Mail: No-Excuse
- Electronic Registration Information Center Member: No
- Early Voting Opportunities: In-Person Absentee
ID Requirements: Strict Non-Photo ID
Relying on the Cost of Voting Index for Ohio as of 2024, we considered the state a bottom tier state for pre-existing voting policy and compared its 2025 activity against other bottom tier states.
How Our Tier Compares
2025: This Past Year
Legislative Action
Late in the 2025 session, the General Assembly passed legislation to require proof of citizenship and shorten the deadline to return mail ballots.
- SB 293 removes the 3-day grace period for late arriving mail ballots, which gives voters less certainty that a mail ballot returned before Election Day will be counted. The bill also requires local boards of election to confirm voters have provided documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, among other things.
- HB 54 clarifies that the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) may only offer voter registration or voter registration updates to individuals that present proof of citizenship or have previously presented proof of citizenship at the BMV.