As efforts to intimidate and confuse Ohio voters grow, voters can protect themselves, and volunteer

With every day that passes, we’ve seen the President of the United States and others double down on efforts with debunked conspiracy theories and misinformation to get everyday voters to think twice about their trip to the ballot box.

As the 2026 midterms come into view, it’s clear that efforts to prop up long-debunked claims about the 2020 elections and lay the groundwork to undermine the 2026 election results will only grow louder. 

Here’s what we know: this deluge of misinformation will not end on Election Day. But we also know that we won’t let cynicism silence any voter. Our freedom to vote is fundamental, and we will not let anyone convince us otherwise. 

For many of us, these lies and election denialism have become white noise in the background of our everyday lives.

What was once shocking has become normalized in large part because of the willingness of our legislators and elected officials to use these debunked conspiracy theories and false narratives to impose barriers to voting.

That willingness to embrace these false narratives has had consequences for everyday Ohioans trying to cast their votes. 

We have lived through the enactment of one of the country’s most restrictive voter ID laws, the implementation of unnecessarily aggressive voter list maintenance processes, and, most recently, the elimination of the four-day acceptance period for absentee ballots.

At its core, this security theater does little to improve election safeguards and administration, but it is very effective at keeping eligible voters from voting, especially those who have historically faced barriers. 

Take Ohio’s voter ID law, for example.

The law, which was so restrictive that Gov. DeWine claimed further election statutory changes would not be necessary, has had predictably bad outcomes.

In 2024 alone, 34,000 provisional ballots were rejected, and over 7,000 of those can be directly attributed to these new, strict voter ID requirements.

That is thousands of Ohioans who showed up to vote and had their voices silenced at the ballot box by strict photo ID laws. 

But evidence that these policies do more harm than good hasn’t stopped the Ohio legislature from passing, and Gov. DeWine from signing into law, the elimination of the state’s four-day grace period for absentee ballots, reducing access to a tried-and-tested voting method ahead of the 2026 primaries.

In June, the legislature tried to deceptively upend Ohio’s vote-by-mail system by attaching requirements to submit a photocopy of your state ID with your ballot to an unrelated bill.

Gov. DeWine did the right thing here and vetoed that legislation after outcry from election officials and advocates for older adults who saw the enormous potential for abuse if the state started requiring older adults to send copies of their ID in the mail. 

Despite this, Ohio’s election administrators continue to work under unnecessary strain and rapidly shifting legal and cultural environments to ensure that Ohioans like you and me can exercise our freedom to vote.

This commitment to running our democracy is just as important as our commitment to participating in it. In this way, we’re all election defenders.

If you’re feeling motivated and inspired to get involved and protect free and accessible elections in Ohio, but don’t know where to start, first, I recommend checking that your voter registration is up to date and that you have the documentation needed to cast your vote this fall.

While our processes are imperfect, the very fact that legislators rely on policies that try to keep eligible voters from voting demonstrates just how powerful your vote is.

If you’re looking to take your involvement one step further and learn how elections work in our state, you can attend public logic and accuracy testing for voting machines or apply to become a nonpartisan poll worker to help ensure your community can vote safely, easily, and free from intimidation. 

What happens next is up to us. Our country is strongest when we all show up, speak out, and refuse to be intimidated.

From now to Election Day and beyond, we will continue to ensure every voter has the freedom to vote, every vote is counted, and that the will of the people is upheld.

Steve David is the Ohio state director for All Voting Is Local, a nonpartisan organization that works for free and democratic elections at the state and local level.