Associated Press
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R)
There was an important court ruling on Friday, in which a federal judge ordered Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R) to leave the state's early-voting window open for all of the state's eligible voters, overturning a law approved by Republican policymakers last year making it harder for Ohio voters to cast a ballot.
Today, Husted announced he plans to ignore the court's ruling until after the appeal.
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted said in a memo Tuesday that he wouldn't restore early voting hours for all voters in Ohio until an appeals court examines a federal judge's ruling that restored those rights. The state of Ohio filed a notice of appeal with the Sixth Circuit court on Tuesday.
"Announcing new hours before the court case reaches final resolution will only serve to confuse voters," Husted said in his memo. "Therefore, there is no valid reason for my office or the county boards of elections to set hours for in-person absentee voting the last three days before the election at this time."
Via Rick Hasen, Husted's directive is now online (pdf).
To briefly recap for those who haven't been following this story, Ohio officials, responding to Election Day disasters in 2004, allowed voters an early-voting window of three days, which in turn boosted turnout and alleviated long lines. This year, Republican officials wanted to close the window -- active-duty servicemen and women could vote early, but no one else, not even veterans, could enjoy the same right. A prominent GOP official recently conceded he opposes weekend voting in order to block the "African American ... voter-turnout machine."
President Obama's campaign team filed suit, asking for a level playing field, giving every eligible Ohio voter -- active-duty troops, veterans, and civilians -- equal access. Last week, a federal court agreed.
And today, Ohio's Republican Secretary of State -- ostensibly to avoid "confusion" -- said he intends to keep the early-voting window closed until a federal appeals court considers his appeal.
Why, pray tell, is Husted fighting so aggressively to make access to the election more difficult? One can only speculate -- he's given vague responses about cutting costs, but local election officials have rejected this explanation. It also doesn't explain why Husted, the state's top elections official, originally wanted one easier standard for Republican-leaning counties and a different, more difficult standard for Democratic-leaning counties.
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God forbid that the entire voting pool should have the same rights granted by the constitution.
Republicans hate Obama...more than they love America! What does that tell you!
If it's ok to have "poll watchers" then it's ok to have people there who watch the watchers.
All they need to do is put the word out that as each person prepares to leave the voting area, they stand in front of the "poll watcher" for 2 minutes and just stare at them. Ask them questions. Look at their pad and maybe scribble on it.
Everybody should ensure that there are at least a half-dozen people standing in front of the poll watcher at any given time.
What the Republicans seem to have forgotten is that there is someone watching over all of us, and he doesn't need a party to perform his magic tricks.
I am tired of these Republicans thumbing their noses at the voters. We can't let them take us back, they aren't mincing words that much really. They don't want to allow voting for minorities, women and even men that do not own property.
Nobody's confused, you are trying to shut down voting.
Well, I just hope if they do block voting it backfires in their face because so many people will not be denied their vote. Arrest him for not following court order. I don't think Ohio wants to be standing in lines for hours, when they could go vote earlier. What's wrong with these people? They are not Americans, they think only they are Americans. We all know they just want to stack the deck. They are the frauds- to say we don't want early voting because of non existent voter fraud.
Will i am and whomever else the young people listen to need to make the songs and videos to fire up the youth again. I see evidence of youth participation and I hope to see even more youth voting than 2008.
Republicans really hate democracy and cannot even hardly say democratic. We are a democratic republic. Yes, we elect our representatives, but they wish to appoint their choice and not the lower classes. They play class warfare by pretending to not mention someone's race or the "working class" is called classism. They think we are envious, that is just another b.s. excuse for their trickle down myth that they want everyone to do well. If so, then why do they want to make sure wages are low and offshore jobs away from us?
Well, it is very clear to me that they HATE democracy and do not want "The People" to elect, just "these people".
IOKIYAR to thumb noses at courts and find ways around laws and want to elude taxes and block legal private medical procedures. They hate America while they wear a flag pin. What are they doing now? Trying to suppress recovery and voting. They want more wars, not less. The U.S. people don't want more wars.
In Cleveland, it looks like TREASON!
If Ohio were a country where the UN were overseeing an election and this kind of c__p was going on, the election would be nullified and the perpetrators would be thrown in jail for a good long time!
judge ruled; so this guy has to follow through, or he is in contempt!!!! he know this; but figures he will not be charged... the good judge should charge him and haul his butt into jail!!!!
The man is a fool, they went to war in Iraq to help free the people of Iraq from a tyrant. What are we doing to our fellow Americans? it's a shame.
Here we go again. Voter Suppression Republican are cheaters that's the only way they know how to win. I wonder if a petition is needed would help early voting?
Perhaps a petition to the judge to make it happen to have voters vote early?
I am hoping that folks are thinking about possibly getting absentee ballots if they are worried. I understand the in person voting, as I always enjoy the in person voting process.
mods (are there any?) i think comment #49 (Trollop) should be deleted as it clearly advocates violence toward an elected (however stupidly) official. even if given "tongue-in-cheek" it is still reprehensible.
c'mon folks, leave this kind of behavior to the other side.
For Ohio to keep fighting against allowing people to vote just shows you it has nothing to do with money. The Koch Brothers Super pac is what is keeping this obstruction of American justice alive. They have wasted more money in these States, who are trying to suppress the vote, then what it would cost to keep the polls open at the usual hours, that had been in place for decades. No State should be allowed to tamper with voting laws, especially during an election year. The message, that was sent by the Texas Courts, should be loud and clear throughout the entire Nation, because the truth has been told and the rascist from these States have been exposed. It was way too obvious from the beginning of this escapade. These legislatures should be behind bars for intentionally trying to take away our Human Rights, theirs is the only fraud that I see.
They ought to send in federal marshals and drag this guy outta there and enforce that court ruling.
THis ought to be treated just mail tampering would be, with much worse consequences. The whole court system is about to collapse if this keeps happening!!
And screw the Koch brothers -- they're rich, not supernatural!!!!!
"If your vote didn’t matter they wouldn’t be trying to suppress it." Is what needs to be said .