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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2009 > October > 29 > Entry
Domestic violence victims may get public records shield
Victims of domestic violence who fear for their safety would be allowed to have their addresses shielded from disclosure on public records in a program that would be run by the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, if a soon-to-be introduced bill becomes law.
State Rep. Kathleen Chandler, D-Kent, is working with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner on the privacy program.
Under Chandler’s bill, counselors at domestic violence shelters or elsewhere would help the participants file sworn statements, copies of protective orders and other material that proves that they have been victims of violent crimes. Mail for these individuals would be sent to the Secretary of State’s office and forwarded to the program participant’s true address, under the proposed legislation.
Participants would be required to vote by absentee ballot. Currently, 37 states administer address confidentiality programs, including 19 run by secretaries of state, 11 by attorneys general and seven by non-profits, according to Brunner’s office. “Ohio has been hard hit on many fronts, and a program such as this offers affected women and their children, as well as affected men, the opportunity to live peacefully at a location of their choosing with the privacy of their whereabouts kept safe from their stalkers or abusers,” Brunner said.
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