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Ohio Revised Code Title XXXV. Elections § 3599.11

Current as of January 01, 2024 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(A) No person shall knowingly register or make application or attempt to register in a precinct in which the person is not a qualified voter; or knowingly aid or abet any person to so register; or attempt to register or knowingly induce or attempt to induce any person to so register; or knowingly impersonate another or write or assume the name of another, real or fictitious, in registering or attempting to register; or by false statement or other unlawful means procure, aid, or attempt to procure the erasure or striking out on the register or duplicate list of the name of a qualified elector therein; or knowingly induce or attempt to induce a registrar or other election authority to refuse registration in a precinct to an elector thereof; or knowingly swear or affirm falsely upon a lawful examination by or before any registering officer; or make, print, or issue any false or counterfeit certificate of registration or knowingly alter any certificate of registration.

No person shall knowingly register under more than one name or knowingly induce any person to so register.

No person shall knowingly make any false statement on any form for registration or change of registration or upon any application or return envelope for an absent voter's ballot.

Whoever violates this division is guilty of a felony of the fifth degree.

(B)(1) No person who helps another person register outside an official voter registration place shall knowingly destroy, or knowingly help another person to destroy, any completed registration form.

Whoever violates this division is guilty of election falsification, a felony of the fifth degree.

(2)(a) No person who helps another person register outside an official voter registration place shall knowingly fail to return any registration form entrusted to that person to any board of elections or the office of the secretary of state within ten days after that regsitration [sic] form is completed, or on or before the thirtieth day before the election, whichever day is earlier, unless the registration form is received by the person within twenty-four hours of the thirtieth day before the election, in which case the person shall return the registration form to any board of elections or the office of the secretary of state within ten days of its receipt.

Whoever violates this division is guilty of election falsification, a felony of the fifth degree, unless the person has not previously been convicted of a violation of division (B)(2)(a), (B)(2)(b), (C)(1), or (C)(2) of this section, the violation of this division does not cause any person to miss any voter registration deadline with regard to any election, and the number of voter registration forms that the violator has failed to properly return does not exceed forty-nine, in which case the violator is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.

(b) Subject to division (C)(2) of this section, no person who helps another person register outside an official registration place shall knowingly return any registration form entrusted to that person to any location other than any board of elections or the office of the secretary of state.

Whoever violates this division is guilty of election falsification, a felony of the fifth degree, unless the person has not previously been convicted of a violation of division (B)(2)(a), (B)(2)(b), (C)(1), or (C)(2) of this section, the violation of this division does not cause any person to miss any voter registration deadline with regard to any election, and the number of voter registration forms that the violator has failed to properly return does not exceed forty-nine, in which case the violator is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.

(C)(1) No person who receives compensation for registering a voter shall knowingly fail to return any registration form entrusted to that person to any board of elections or the office of the secretary of state within ten days after that voter registration form is completed, or on or before the thirtieth day before the election, whichever is earlier, unless the registration form is received by the person within twenty-four hours of the thirtieth day before the election, in which case the person shall return the registration form to any board of elections or the office of the secrtary [sic] of state within ten days of its receipt.

Whoever violates this division is guilty of election falsification, a felony of the fifth degree, unless the person has not previously been convicted of a violation of division (B)(2)(a), (B)(2)(b), (C)(1), or (C)(2) of this section, the violation of this division does not cause any person to miss any voter registration deadline with regard to any election, and the number of voter registration forms that the violator has failed to properly return does not exceed forty-nine, in which case the violator is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.

(2) No person who receives compensation for registering a voter shall knowingly return any registration form entrusted to that person to any location other than any board of elections or the office of the secretary of state.

Whoever violates this division is guilty of election falsification, a felony of the fifth degree, unless the person has not previously been convicted of a violation of division (B)(2)(a), (B)(2)(b), (C)(1), or (C)(2) of this section, the violation of this division does not cause any person to miss any voter registration deadline with regard to any election, and the number of voter registration forms that the violator has failed to properly return does not exceed forty-nine, in which case the violator is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.

(D) As used in division (C) of this section, “registering a voter” includes any effort, for compensation, to provide voter registration forms or to assist persons in completing or returning those forms.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Ohio Revised Code Title XXXV. Elections § 3599.11 - last updated January 01, 2024 | https://codes.findlaw.com/oh/title-xxxv-elections/oh-rev-code-sect-3599-11/

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