NILES, Ohio - You've heard a lot about the efforts for and against a referendum on Ohio Senate Bill 5.

But there is another newly signed Ohio law that people want changed and it effects the way you vote.

Volunteers with Trumbull County's Democratic Party collected signatures for a petition against House Bill 194. It's part of a statewide effort called "Fair Elections Ohio."

Kathy DiCristofaro, Secretary for the Trumbull County Democratic Party, said, "It reduces the time for absentee voting. It eliminates the weekend, which is the largest walk-in voter time right before the election. It really hurts seniors and women, working people who can't leave in the middle of the day to go and vote."

According to the Ohio House of Representatives Republican caucus web site, www.ohiohousegop.blogspot.com, the legislation reduces the chance of voter fraud by eliminating a period of time when voters can register and vote at the same time and improve the verification process for provisional and absentee ballots.

But opponents say the bill does not require poll workers to direct voters to the correct precinct.

DiCristofaro explained, "There's a greater risk of ballots being thrown out or challenged. So it's a suppression bill, in my opinion."

Many registered voters are letting their names be counted as part of Wednesday evening's drive-thru petition signing event at McMenamy's.

Tamara Cooper of Warren said, "A lot of people died for me to have the right to vote and we hate to see suppression occur here in 2011. So we need to do as much as we can to secure our right to vote."

More than 231,000 signatures must be filed with the secretary of state's office by September 29th in order to keep HB 194 from going into effect and place a referendum on the November 2012 ballot.