Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has announced that he will appeal a court ruling allowing more early voting to the U.S. Supreme Court. His decision means that voters in the key swing state of Ohio still do not know how long early voting lasts. Husted's Republican Party tried to cut early voting by half this year, and they were able to cut only the last three days, including the final weekend and Monday before the election. On Friday, a federal court ruled that counties could allow those days.
From Husted's statement:
The court is saying that all voters must be treated the same way under Ohio law, but also grants Ohio’s 88 elections boards the authority to establish 88 different sets of rules. That means that one county may close down voting for the final weekend while a neighboring county may remain open. How any court could consider this a remedy to an equal protection problem is stunning.
...
“While I will be asking the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Ohio law through the appeals process, the last thing I want to see is a non-uniform system where voters will be treated differently in all 88 counties.
People who have followed Husted in recent months will remember that he voted to allow different sets of rules in different counties -- specifically with the effect that Republican-leaning counties got more time to vote than Democratic-leaning counties. An outcry from "antagonists," as he described them in August, forced him to change course.
Early voting was especially popular with African-American voters in 2008; in Cleveland, they were 26 times more likely to vote early and in person than white voters.
Today's decision comes as the Romney campaign makes a new push for Ohio.
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Desperate times call for desperate measures. How is this even legal?
I can't wait until the elections are over!!
Proud to be one of the antagonists of this guy; and, to also report that my husband and I completed and mailed our absentee ballots already. Just wishing we could have voted to get rid of Husted and the entire Ohio Republican cabal as well. They are nothing more than the result of too many people not voting in 2010.
2014 isn't all THAT far away.
Hmmm...shame you can't recall them huh. By 2014 they will find a way to convince people to vote for them again(unless you help to remind them of why not)
We lived in NC in 2010, so this group in OH can't be blamed on me.......oh, wait - the similar group that got elected in NC in 2010 and has wreaked havoc there - too many people stayed away from the voting booths there, too.
We all have to take responsibility to continually remind people how awful the Republican theocracy has been.
What difference does it make how many people vote for Obama when the voting machines are owned by the Romneys?
http://truth-out.org/news/item/12204-does-the-romney-family-now-own-your-e-vote
*Ring, ring*
“Hello. Justice Scalia’s office, how may I help you?”
“My name is Jon Husted, Ohio Secretary of State, I wish to speak to Justice Scalia.”
“One moment, I believe he’s been expecting your call.”
*pause*
“Jon, this is Antonin, how are you?”
“I’m doing well, Sir. Listen, about this pesky early voting problem…?”
“No problem, Jon. Send the appeal up. We’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
*click*
I don't know how Anthony Kennedy stands on this. As far as Scalia, Thomas, Alito, and Roberts are concerned, you're right on.
I would not bet that all the conservative judges line up with Husted on this case. This assumes they even consider the case. It would be easier and less controversial to deny any appeal to the SCOTUS and let the lower courts ruling stand. Also, Kennedy and Roberts may be conservative when it comes to many issues, but maybe not one that involves voting rights. These two judges are not a lock on this case because this involves a race issue that could be explosive. I don't think these judges want a legacy of a controversial decision overshadowing any other court cases they have considered.
I don't know whether it even matters if the Court hears the case. Even if it did, what are the chances that would be before the election? I suspect (sans evidence other than how Husted has been conducting himself thus far) that the only real objective here is simply to draw out the process and increase uncertainty.
You want to talk about voting rights? You think the egregious disenfranchisement is in Ohio or Pennsylvania? That's nonsense.
80% of the country not living in swing states are casting votes that do not count towards their candidate- whether Obama or Romney.
Their votes don't matter.
Isn't it time to eliminate the electoral college, and count everyone's vote?
Don't worry, if by some chance Romney wins the popular vote and Obama takes the EC, Romney will appeal to the Supreme Court and Scalia, Roberts, Alito, Kennedy and Thomas will declare the EC as established by the Constitution is really un-Constitutional.
Madness pure madness! Have you learned nothing from these republican twits? They have proved that some people are not smart enough to vote--the fact that they are those people and they are a minority however does play right back into your court.
You are looking at who a principle benefits. I am looking at our right to have our vote count.
If you are a Democrat in Texas it is pointless to vote for President, so there is no sense of agency- that the citizen has a say and a sense of ownership of the process of choosing.
Hayes has an advertisement about how important that sense of agency among the citizenry is to a democracy, and remarks on how profane it is to prevent a citizen's vote from counting.
Does your vote for president count in your state? Not if you don't live in a swing state. I'm saying that is far far more profane than what is happening in Ohio and PA.
I agree whole heartedly. Many others also feel it is time to get rid of the electoral college. However the very fact of feeling impotent in the process prevents them from acting upon it.
I have signed many petitions calling for the end of the electoral college over the years yet here we are.
Conservatives reading this: Note that this popular vote proposal does not favor Obama. Note that the popular vote is much tighter than the swing state votes. I support this, and conservatives should too because it is the right and fair thing to do.
Presidential choice should conform to how the total population voted and the count should be fair, where alternative choices do not disqualify themselves as spoilers due to the way the vote is counted.
Voters should be able to declare their ranked preferences.
That will address the other egregious form of voter disenfranchisement. That you only have a binary choice. There can be no third choice unless you seek political failure for your side of the political spectrum.
One easy vote count is to eliminate the lowest ranked candidate, and progressively recount until there is a choice between two candidates.
This is a non partisan scheme. In the case of the 68 election, Wallaces voters would likely have gone to the Dems, and Humphrey would have beaten Nixon. In the Bush I vs. Perot vs. Clinton matchup, Perot's votes likely would have gone to Bush, and Clinton would have lost.
In this race, those ideologically aghast at Romney's statements could move their votes to the more conservative or libertarian candidate. We could have Santorum or Ron Paul's presence in the race would not injure Romney
Constitutional provisions are unconstitutional? I think your meds must be past their use-by dates. The electoral college really must go, but let's keep our feet in the sane world, OK?
Voters won't understand a "ranked preference." Election ballots are already written in a confusing fashion. I'm sure many people have voted for something they were actually against because the wording was convoluted.
Cowgirl-
What's hard to understand about stating your first, second and third choice?
We are talking about adults of the same species as us, right?
Odds on the Roberts Court hearing that argument and saying "You're right, you cannot have 88 individual sets of rules. Only 1 set of rules."?
I say <10%, but I have been wrong before...
The Radical republicans on the court will do whatever it takes to help their party. They gave up justice and serve the party now.Don't be fooled by their few rulings that at first blush seem to be just. Their written opinions have always tried to lay the groundwork for the next republican attempt to change any non-partisan blunder. ruling.
Isn't this a matter of Ohio laws and the state's constitution? I thought the SCOTUS only takes matters of federal law and the US Constitution...
This seems odd even though true. After all the constitution gives representatives immunity while traveling to and from Washington mostly to prevent one state from jailing a congressman from another state and keeping him from voting on an issue at hand in Congress, yet we let each state run elections for the Presidency. I guess the framers never thought we could or would see a party that sought to destroy democracy altogether.
@KJ Since this is an election for federal offices, ie House and President, Ohio SecState has to comply with at least federal rights. states could extend voter rights beyond federal rules but can't tighten them. However, I cant see a federal issue here for the Supreme's to hear.
No, that's incorrect. The simple historical fact that the Court has heard plenty of cases that originated as state or even as local issues. Like Brown v. Board. Don't overlook the supremacy clause. The federal constitution and federal laws also have something to say about elections and, Husted's motives aside, there is a legitimate federal dimension to what is going on in Ohio.
I actually agree completely with the quoted part of Husted's statement. (Although I love the irony of a Republican arguing that decisions shouldn't be made by the smallest, most local government.) While I appreciate the 6th Circuit giving this asshat a smackdown, they really did screw it up by saying early voting was at the discretion of the counties. As Husted says, this is the opposite of a solution to an equal protection problem. The real answer is that there was no compelling interest in limiting the rights voters had previously relied on so close to an election, that doing so was a needless burden on the right to vote, and that all counties in Ohio need to honor early voting. Would that really have been so hard?
What I wonder is will the people of Ohio reelect this guy after all of this?
Let's hope not. They can do enough damage in FOUR years, let alone eight.
@Dragon - just remember Wisconsin! Even after Walker broke the Unions and the recall - the sheeple of Wisconsin voted that fool back in!
I'm going with "basic civics" - the sheeple don't understand and aren't trying to "learn" cause ya know "learning = the devil"!
Ah yes, Republicans working the tails off to be sure that "the rules are set as early as possible." The more confusion this traitor can sow, the better for his side.
The Republican Party is America's real enemy.
The burden of democratic sanity rests squarely on Husted's shoulders!
Hey Jon Husted - your hostility to the fundamental right of ALL American citizens to vote is on clear display! You are a great nemesis to our national heritage as it is obvious you'd prefer a pre-13th, 14th, 15th, 24th Amendment, and pre-Voting Rights America where certain people you deem undesirable would no doubt be in better places, as far as you're concerned, if they were on a plantation being housed and fed by the likes of your over-lord buddies!
Jon Husted is an embarrassment to a free, liberty-minded, democratic people! Jon Husted needs to be tarred and feathered and ridden out of the great state of Ohio on a rail!(Strictly in a metaphoric sense as we are in a post-9/11 era!) -Kevo
I am waiting for the Republicans to follow the idea put forth by their fellow Arkansas Candidate for State Representative Charles Fuqua In God’s Law: The Only Political Solution, Hubbard proposes mass deportations of Muslims: “I see no solution to the Muslim problem short of expelling all followers of the religion from the United States.” http://www.nationalmemo.com/republican-candidate-offers-a-solution-to-the-muslim-problem/
So will the Republicans start calling for the deportation of all African Americans and Latinos so they can eliminate that portion of Democratic votes, or are you just going to bring us back in time of segregation and laws forbidding certain races from participating in our Democracy?
Husted is an embarrassment and can you imagine what other Countries are saying about the Country that is supposed to be the Leader in Democracy of a Free World and a Country that denounces racism and bigotry in other Countries, but promotes and encourages it here in our Country.
What a joke Husted and the Republican Party make of our Democracy.
Fairness has not been advanced by lies and manipulation in the economy nor will it be with voter disenfranchisement. Vote for people who support free elections. Your vote will be the next one they come after.
GPS the GOP. Send in the drones.
Honestly, how many times does Husted have to get his butt kicked before he gives it up?
Evidently this guy won't learn his lesson until Ohio is landed squarely into President Obama's lap come Election Day, and even then he may not let it go. I'm sure he's already readying filing for a recount if the final count is relatively close.
Haven't we seen this movie before?
I take it that Husted will issue a stay of the order until the Court rules.
He's been promised an plum job, no doubt.
Is it so awful when I wish this obnoxious human named Husted physical pain?
So to all my fellow voters in Ohio, just make plans & get out now to vote. Don't count on waiting til that last weekend. I believe Nancy Pelosi said it best to Rachel the other week-don't agonize, organize. Just buckle down & get it done. Stop with the hand wringing & just vote now!!
If the early voting has to be done M-F, 9-5, then so be it. Get your "souls to the polls" on a weekday this time. Or help your neighbors get an absentee ballot if they are mobility-challenged. I agree, don't wait.
Hey, Husted -- easy solution. DO IT THE SAME WAY YOU'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS. All polls open in all counties November 3, 4 & 5.
Do the guys Husted fired for announcing full early voting hours in Democratic-leaning areas have any sort of recourse? Is there someone to whom they can appeal his decision?
In the meantime, I'm hoping Husted gets hit by lightning or wraps his car around a telephone pole. Perhaps that he gets hit by lightning AND wraps his car around a telephone pole. Jerk.
Sedition. So which state will @!$%# it all up, Ohio or Transylvania? It's a tough call! I say nuke the site from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.
Last week Rachel reported that bus loads of Republicans were heading out of Alabama to volunteer in what state? Was it Ohio?
Is Mr. Husted a "Closet Communist?" He obviously does not believe in the US Constitution, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voter Rights Act of 1965. Does Mr. Husted comprehend the fact that he is breaking the law, and is actively committing treason. Again! Is the US Justice Department investigating Mr. Husted? Does Mr. Husted understand that the Civil War is over? Does Mr. Husted actually still believe that "Seperate but Fair" is Constitutional? WOW! Mr. Husted is a Confederate States Of American Politician. Who is living in the wrong century!
A) the unpleasantry of the Yankee agression is not over--Lee surrendered not Husted!
B)McCarthy came out of the closet and got all of congress to become communists
C)People like Husted feel that the only line in the Constitution that matters is .."States Rights!(you will need their revised copy to find this in all its splendor)
D)The Justice department is to be ignored during a democrat's presidency as is the EPA,OSHA,DHEC....
E)The Civil Rights act was of course uncostititutional in the way it abridges "States Rights"
F) It is unpatriotic to question elected officials and in so doing you are treasonous.
F) Have a nice day and please help us rid ourselves of such degenerates in office.
Rachel and gang...need your help with this:
@FlGovScott Why Can't I Vote? http://tinyurl.com/8ecq988 PLS HELP OR R/T AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!
This guy is another Mr. Obvious Man. But are we missing something here? Has anyone suggested to the churches that they GOTV the PREVIOUS weekend?
What if any legal recourse do the voters of Ohio have to protect themselves and to force Husted to obey the court's orders? How can they legally protect their rights? Who will ensure that Husted follows the court's orders when he has so far failed to do so. Who will police this guy and protect the electorate? If it's up to the honor system, well he clearly has no honor to start with so that's not going to work. What's your plan Ohio? Are there no checks and balances in place-the law is the law-or is it???
But this is another chance for the 5 SCOTUS injustices to appoint a republiKKKan king.
Secretary of State Husted should be charged with treason. Yet Ohio voters can vote now, just mobilize each registered voter, and get them to county election offices now, long before the magical weekend of November 3. And not wait for SCOTUS/Scalia.
Husted is living proof of the need for recall rights for the people of the State. The problem is there does not seem to be a groundswell of resentment for what he is doing. Someone elected him. Like in the Mission Impossible movies, just remember, your task,if you wish to undertake it is to elect a more honest person. Throw mr. Husted under the bus the next electoral chance you get. In other countries people would be in the streets protesting but like the President says, don't boo...VOTE..good luck