OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
H.B. 457 Bill Analysis
135th General Assembly
Click here for H.B. 457’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Introduced
Primary Sponsor: Rep. Click
Effective date:
Emily E. Wendel, Attorney
SUMMARY
Transferring voter registrations when electors move
 Requires the election officials, when an elector moves from one county to another
within Ohio and updates the elector’s registration, to transfer the elector’s registration
and carry over the elector’s voting history and other information, instead of canceling
the old registration and creating a new one.
 Requires the board of elections of the elector’s old county to retain copies of the
elector’s information permanently, instead of for at least two years.
 Eliminates a requirement that an elector sign a separate authorization in order to have
the elector’s previous registration transferred or canceled.
 Adds language to the applicant’s affirmation on Ohio’s voter registration forms, stating
that “I understand that if I am registered to vote at any other address, the election
officials will be notified of my change of address.”
 Requires the form to include an optional field where the applicant can provide one or
more former residence addresses, if the applicant is currently registered to vote at
another address.
Voter registration form changes
 Adds references in law to language that is required to be included on each state’s voter
registration forms under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
Retention of canceled voter registration records
 Requires the Statewide Voter Registration Database to include a system for retaining
canceled voter registration records permanently, instead of for a minimum of five years.
April 8, 2024
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
DETAILED ANALYSIS
Transferring voter registrations when electors move
When an elector moves from one county to another within Ohio and updates the
elector’s registration, the bill requires the election officials to transfer the elector’s registration
between counties and to carry over the elector’s voting history and other information.
Currently, the Revised Code specifies instead that the election officials must cancel the old
registration and create a new one.
The current law dates back to an era when each county kept paper voter registration
records that never left the county. Today, the boards of elections use a combination of paper
and digital records, and they periodically submit their registration data electronically to the
Secretary of State for inclusion in the Statewide Voter Registration Database (SWVRD). In 2023,
the General Assembly passed legislation that updated Ohio’s SWVRD procedures to require an
elector’s state-level electronic registration record to follow the elector from county to county.
The bill similarly changes Ohio’s county-level process for updating registrations to facilitate the
transfer of registration data between counties.1
Current process – cancelation and re-registration
The current Revised Code states that an elector who moves and updates the elector’s
registration must declare that fact when updating the registration and must sign a separate
authorization to cancel the elector’s previous registration. The Secretary of State prescribes a
form for an elector to request to cancel a registration, but Ohio’s voter registration form does
not mention the requirement to sign a separate cancelation authorization.2 It appears that
electors typically do not submit any separate authorization when they update their
registrations.
Existing law then requires the board of elections of the elector’s new county to mail the
authorization and a copy of the elector’s new registration form to the elector’s previous county
or state of residence. If the elector moves from one county to another within Ohio, the law
requires the board of elections of the elector’s old county to cancel the elector’s old
registration and retain it, along with the authorization, in a separate file for two calendar years,
and to notify the elector of the cancelation. If the elector moves to Ohio from another state,
the board must mail the authorization and a copy of the new registration form to the
appropriate agency of the elector’s former state and county. The cancelation of the elector’s
registration in that other state then occurs according to that state’s laws.3
1 R.C. 3503.15(C)(9), as amended by H.B. 33 of the 135th General Assembly.
2 Ohio Secretary of State, Form 10-A (PDF) and Form SEC 4010 (PDF), available at ohiosos.gov under
“Elections & Voting,” “Elections Officials,” and “Forms & Petitions.”
3 R.C. 3503.33.
P a g e |2 H.B. 457
As Introduced
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
Transferring registrations under the bill
Under the bill, an elector is permitted, but no longer required, to sign a separate
authorization in order to have the elector’s previous registration transferred to the elector’s
new county or to have the elector’s registration in another state canceled. If the elector does
not sign a separate authorization, the elector’s new registration form authorizes the transfer. In
the case of an elector who moves into Ohio from another state, the registration form is
considered to authorize the cancelation of the elector’s registration in the elector’s previous
state.
Accordingly, the bill adds language to the applicant’s affirmation on Ohio’s voter
registration forms, stating that “I understand that if I am registered to vote at any other
address, the election officials will be notified of my change of address.” The bill also requires
the form to include a field for the applicant to provide one or more former residence addresses,
if the applicant currently is registered to vote at another address. An applicant may, but is not
required to, provide a former address. Ohio’s current paper voter registration form includes
this field, but the statute does not require it. (See “Voter registration form changes,”
below.)
When an elector moves from one county to another, the bill requires the board of
elections of the elector’s new county to transmit, instead of mailing, a copy of the new
registration form and any accompanying authorization form to the board of elections of the
elector’s former county. The board in the elector’s former county must remove the elector’s old
registration from its files and transfer the information in it to the elector’s new county
according to procedures prescribed by the Secretary of State. Then, the board must store the
old and new registration, along with any authorization form, in a separate file and retain it
permanently, instead of for only two years as under current law.
When an elector moves to Ohio from another state, the bill requires the board of
elections of the elector’s new county to transmit a copy of the elector’s new registration form
and any accompanying authorization to the chief election official of the state in which the
elector previously registered.4
Voter registration form changes
As is discussed above, the bill adds an optional space for a former address on Ohio’s
paper and online voter registration forms and adds language that the applicant understands
that the election officials will be notified of an address update.
The bill also adds language that is required to be included on each state’s voter
registration forms under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993: (1) a list of the eligibility
requirements to vote, (2) a declaration under penalty of election falsification (perjury) that the
applicant meets those requirements, and (3) the penalty for submitting a false registration.
4 R.C. 3503.14, 3503.20, and 3503.33 and conforming changes in R.C. 3503.21.
P a g e |3 H.B. 457
As Introduced
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
Ohio’s current forms include this language as prescribed by the Secretary of State, but the
Revised Code does not explicitly require it to be included.5
The following table compares the current form used in Ohio with the form as it would
exist under the bill, assuming that the Secretary of State made no further changes.
 Language in black text is currently required under the Revised Code.
 Language in green text is currently added by the Secretary of State. Underlined green
text is required by federal law.
 Language in blue text is added by the bill. Underlined blue text is required by federal
law.
Current form Form under the bill
Are you a U.S. citizen? Are you a U.S. citizen?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No
Will you be at least 18 years of age on or before Will you be at least 18 years of age on or before
the next general election? the next general election?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No
If you answered NO to either of the questions, do If you answered NO to either of the questions, do
not complete this form. not complete this form.
Name: __________________________________ Name: __________________________________
Address: ________________________________ Address: ________________________________
Additional mailing address (if necessary): ______ Additional mailing address (if necessary): ______
Birthdate: ________________________________ Birthdate: ________________________________
Ohio driver’s license or state ID card number OR Ohio driver’s license or state ID card number OR
last four digits of Social Security number: ______ last four digits of Social Security number: ______
Phone number (voluntary): __________________ Phone number (voluntary): __________________
Previous address if updating current registration: Previous address if updating current registration:
________________________________________ ________________________________________
Signature: _______________________________ Signature: _______________________________
5R.C. 3503.14 and 3503.20; 52 United States Code 20505(a)(2), 20507(a)(5), and 20508(b)(2); and Ohio
Secretary of State, Form SEC 4010 (PDF).
P a g e |4 H.B. 457
As Introduced
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
Current form Form under the bill
Current date: _____________________________ Current date: _____________________________
I declare under penalty of election falsification I declare under penalty of election falsification
that I am a citizen of the United States, will have that I am a citizen of the United States, will have
lived in this state for 30 days immediately lived in this state for 30 days immediately
preceding the next election, and will be at least preceding the next election, and will be at least
18 years of age at the time of the general 18 years of age at the time of the general
election. election. I understand that if I am registered to
vote at any other address, the election officials
will be notified of my change of address.
WHOEVER COMMITS ELECTION FALSIFICATION WHOEVER COMMITS ELECTION FALSIFICATION
IS GUILTY OF A FELONY OF THE FIFTH DEGREE IS GUILTY OF A FELONY OF THE FIFTH DEGREE
Retention of canceled voter registration records
Finally, the bill requires the SWVRD to include a system for retaining canceled voter
registration records permanently, instead of for a minimum of five years.6
HISTORY
Action Date
Introduced 03-27-24
AHB0457IN-135/ts
6 R.C. 3503.15(B)(6).
P a g e |5 H.B. 457
As Introduced