Another Ohio Victory on Voter Rights

In another blow to the current Secretary of State's effort to limit voter access to the polls, the Federal Courts have made permanent the rules to keep the early voting hours open for the last three days before the November Election.  This goes back to the 2012 and the Obama for America lawsuit against the State of Ohio to provide equal access to early voting for all voters.  The State legislature tried to give access to active military to vote on the last three days before the election but not the other voters in Ohio.   This disparity in the rules was found by Judge Peter Economus to be a violation of federal law. 

This ruling will force Secretary of State Husted to set uniform hours on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday hours for early in-person voting.  This does not settle the lawsuit filed earlier this year by the ACLU and the NAACP regarding Sunday voting, evening hours and Golden Week. It also does not provide a level playing field for all voters in Ohio.  Those living in heavily populated areas of the State will have to stuff themselves into the local boards of election offices because they will have the same hours as the small counties with only a few thousand people who need to vote. We hope that this is a first step in the complete repudiation of all efforts to limit access to the ballot box in Ohio and other states. 

Brian Davis

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