Rep. Hicks-Hudson, House Dems Slam GOP Lawmakers for
Refusing to Fund Absentee Ballot Postage
State Rep. Hicks-Hudson
(D-Toledo) and House Democrats slammed GOP lawmakers on the
Controlling Board Monday for refusing to approve funds to
cover the cost of absentee ballot postage for Ohio voters
ahead of the November election.
"Today the Republican
leadership on the Controlling Board and the Republican
S.O.S's lack of leadership as the duly constitutional
election official resulted in a no vote to pay for postage
for returning a ballot results in a form of a 2020 style
poll tax against voter access. We cannot turn our back on
the sacred and precious act of voting," said Rep.
Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo).
House Democrats have
consistently called on Sec. LaRose to use existing funds to
pay for postage if the legislature fails to address it. An
earlier statement by Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland)
included a timeline of events concerning return postage and
the Controlling Board
While Republican members on
the Controlling Board voted down the request for prepaid
postage funding, lawmakers approved a number of other
significant items Monday:
* $2 million in
previously allocated funds to the Development Services
Agency for the Minority Business Enterprise Loan program;
* $34.8 million to
from the federal CARES Act to the Ohio Department of
Rehabilitation and Correction to expand COVID-19 testing and
other safety measures in prisons;
* $36.8 million in
previously allocated funds to the Bureau of Worker'
Compensation for the continued purchasing of face coverings
for Ohio workers.
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