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Republican Representatives Sponsor Bill To Allow Voters To Post Pics Of Their Ballots

Ohio House of Representatives
Rep. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) co-sponsored a bill to allow voters to post pictures of ballots on social media.

It’s a felony in Ohio for a voter to take a picture of a filled-out ballot and post it on social media. Two Republican lawmakers want to change that.

Rep. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) is 25, and one of the youngest people ever elected to the legislature – and he thinks getting rid of a law banning selfies in the voting booth is a good idea. “It takes this law off the books that we think is unconstitutional, and that just isn’t being prosecuted. Laws should be for serious crimes, not for someone who wants to post a picture of their ballot because they’re excited about it.”

Antani said the law banning pics in the voting booth was intended to stop bribery, but he said other anti-bribery laws already do that. Antani and his co-sponsor, Rep. Mike Duffey (R-Worthington), also say they feel the current law violates voters’ free speech rights. The bill won’t even be voted on till after the election, since lawmakers aren’t set to come back to work until after the November vote.

Contact Karen at 614-578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.
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