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Gov. Mike DeWine signed new voter requirements into law with the goal of strengthening elections in Ohio. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Former Photo Editor

Gov. Mike DeWine signed a set of new voter requirements and guidelines into law Jan. 6 aimed to address “election integrity” concerns, and college students — especially those from out-of-state — might find themselves impacted by these changes. 

The law, House Bill 458, eliminates the use of bank statements or utility bills as forms of ID and requires an unexpired photo ID from the state, military ID or passport to vote. Additionally, there are provisions that deal with absentee and early voting changes.  

“This is the most radical change in Ohio voting law in decades,” Mia Lewis, associate director of Common Cause Ohio, an organization that advocates for voter rights and expanding democracy, said.  

Lewis said in addition to requiring voters to have photo IDs, this law shortens the window to cast mail-in ballots and reduces the number of absentee ballot drop boxes to one per county. 

Secretary of State Frank LaRose said in a Feb. 7 directive ballot drop boxes will be open 24 hours from the day early voting begins until 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

LaRose said Jan. 6 Ohioans are supportive of a stricter photo ID for voting, and Ohio found a “common-sense way to make it happen.” 

According to Pew Research, as of April 2021, 76 percent of voters, including 61 percent of Democrats, favor “requiring all voters to show government-issued photo identification to vote.”

The change in voting rules and requirements will impact more people than anticipated, including college students, Lewis said.

 Lewis said the most significant barrier students face to voting is the complexity of the new rules, which creates a feeling of unease and discourages young people from voting. 

Out-of-state students are most likely to be affected by the new laws, Lewis said, because in the past, students could use utility bills or a statement of account from the university to vote. With the ID changes, students must either get an Ohio ID or vote by mail.   

Anna Wagner, assistant director for Student Leadership Development and an indirect advisor to OSU Votes — a student-led group to encourage others to vote — said out-of-state students getting new state IDs in Ohio could potentially disrupt things like financial aid or residency, which makes it wiser to stick to mail-in voting. 

“I think the most guaranteed way you’re going to have your vote counted as an out-of-state student is to make a plan to vote by mail in your permanent home address,” Wagner said.

Wagner said OSU Votes plan to increase its education on mail-in voting to ensure students are informed. 

“I know one thing that we’re very aware of is that the new law may result in a lot more students choosing to vote by mail, either in their home county in Ohio or in their home state because it is not as straightforward of a process now for students,” Wagner said. “We’re really gonna be ramping up our vote by mail education.”

Wagner said in order to make every student’s voice heard, making a plan about how one wants to vote and keeping track of deadlines are crucial. 

Lewis said more responsibility should be taken by universities to make sure students have everything they need to participate in the democratic process.  

“[The universities] also should be absolutely ensuring that every single student has a state issued ID of some kind,” Lewis said.

This story was updated on Tuesday at 5;21 p.m. to include a directive from Secretary of State Frank LaRose that said ballot drop boxes will be open 24 hours a day during the early voting period.