§ 3503.24

challenge of right to vote.
Effective: March 20, 2019
Legislation: House Bill 41 - 132nd General Assembly


(A) Application for the correction of any precinct registration list or a challenge of the right to vote
of any registered elector may be made by any qualified elector at the office of the board of elections
not later than the thirtieth day before the day of the election. The applications or challenges, with the
reasons for the application or challenge, shall be filed with the board in person or by mail on a form
prescribed by the secretary of state and shall be signed under penalty of election falsification.


(B) On receiving an application or challenge filed under this section, the board of elections promptly
shall review the board's records. If the board is able to determine that an application or challenge
should be granted or denied solely on the basis of the records maintained by the board, the board
immediately shall vote to grant or deny that application or challenge.


If the board is not able to determine whether an application or challenge should be granted or denied
solely on the basis of the records maintained by the board, the director shall promptly set a time and
date for a hearing before the board. The hearing shall be held, and the application or challenge shall
be decided, no later than ten days after the board receives the application or challenge. The director
shall send written notice to any elector whose right to vote is challenged and to any person whose
name is alleged to have been omitted from a registration list. The notice shall inform the person of
the time and date of the hearing, and of the person's right to appear and testify, call witnesses, and be
represented by counsel. The notice shall be sent by first class mail no later than three days before the
day of any scheduled hearing. Except as otherwise provided in division (D) of this section, the
director shall also provide the person who filed the application or challenge with such written notice
of the date and time of the hearing.


At the request of either party or any member of the board, the board shall issue subpoenas to
witnesses to appear and testify before the board at a hearing held under this section. All witnesses
shall testify under oath. The board shall reach a decision on all applications and challenges
immediately after hearing.



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(C) If the board decides that any such person is not entitled to have the person's name on the
registration list, the person's name shall be removed from the list and the person's registration forms
canceled. If the board decides that the name of any such person should appear on the registration list,
it shall be added to the list, and the person's registration forms placed in the proper registration files.
All such corrections and additions shall be made on a copy of the precinct lists, which shall
constitute the poll lists, to be furnished to the respective precincts with other election supplies on the
day preceding the election, to be used by the election officials in receiving the signatures of voters
and in checking against the registration forms.


(D) If an elector who is the subject of an application or challenge hearing has a confidential voter
registration record, as described in section 111.44 of the Revised Code, all of the following apply:


(1) If the elector's right to vote has been challenged, the person who filed the challenge shall not
receive notice of the date and time of any hearing held concerning the challenge, shall not be
permitted to attend the hearing, and shall not receive notice of the disposition of the challenge.


(2) If the elector is the subject of an application for the correction of the precinct registration list and
the elector is not the person who filed the application, the person who filed the application shall not
receive notice of the date and time of any hearing held concerning the application, shall not be
permitted to attend the hearing, and shall not receive notice of the disposition of the application.


(3) Notwithstanding section 121.22 of the Revised Code, any hearing held concerning the application
or challenge shall not be open to the public.


(4) Any records created as a result of the application or challenge that include the elector's residence
address or precinct shall not be open to public inspection.




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