Prepared by Jan Lanier, RN, JD

HB 194 Update—September 29, 2011

The opponents to HB 194 have collected the required number of signatures, which means HB 194 will be held in abeyance pending the outcome of the referendum vote in the November 2012 general election.

According to the Fair Elections Ohio spokesperson, once the signatures are submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office county boards of election will be asked to verify the signatures—a process taking 10-15 days.  If , after verification is completed, the number falls short of the 231,324 signatures required to get the proposal on the ballot, opponents of HB 194 will have an additional 10 days to collect additional signatures.  (Signature gathering continues during the boards of election review). 

 Placing HB 194 on hold means the 2012 elections will be conducted under current law.  The primary date reverts to March; therefore, the filing deadline for candidates is December 7, 2011.

The following material was prepared to provide nurses the information they need to be knowledgeable about important issues affecting their rights as citizens.    HB 194 makes sweeping changes to how Ohio conducts its elections.  A referendum drive is underway to stop what many believe is a bill that overreaches and ultimately results in voter suppression.

To read the full article, click on the button to the left, titled “HB 194 – Election Reform or Voter Supression”