Voting Rights Restoration Efforts in Ohio

Current felony disenfranchisement laws

Ohio law restores voting rights to people with felony convictions upon their release from incarceration. Unfortunately, no state law requires universal and systematic notice when a person’s rights are restored.

Legislative advocacy

2005. In 2005, the Brennan Center drafted several provisions for potential insertion into an omnibus election reform bill. These provisions would require the department of corrections to notify inmates as part of their release process that their voting rights will be restored, to assist them with voter registration, and to transmit their names to the Secretary of State for restoration to the voter rolls. Ohio’s coalition continues to try to persuade friendly legislators to insert these amendments into election reform proposals.