Ohio Cuts Early Voting Hours That Are Key To Black Turnout

[Cali_Democrat]

Source: Think Progress

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has followed through on promises to restrict voting opportunities in his state. The change, announced Tuesday, eliminates extended early voting hours on weekdays, the final two days before Election Day as well as Sunday voting, a day typically important to African-American voters because churches use it to turn out votes.

The early voting period is vital to the elderly, low-income voters, and anyone else with limited means to get to the polls, not to mention that it cuts down on election-day long lines and chaos. MSNBC notes that in 2008, black voters made up 56 percent “of all weekend voters in Cuyahoga County, Ohio’s largest, even though they made up just 28% of the county’s population.”

Husted’s announcement comes on the heels of other Ohio initiatives to suppress turnout. Ohio just passed two bills that eliminates an entire week of early voting and end the practice of mailing absentee ballots.

Husted, known for vote suppression, similarly tried to cut Sunday voting hours in the 2012 presidential election. A federal appeals court intervened, concluding that the directive would mean “thousands of voters who would have voted during those three days will not be able to exercise their right to cast a vote in person.’”

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/02/25/3329131/ohio-restricts-early-voting-hours-key-black-turnout/#

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Shouldn't voting hours be expanded? Why are Republicans doing all they can to restrict voting in battleground states like Ohio?

Because increased turnout favors Dems.

Could they be any more obvious?

[freshwest]

1. So he wants working people to call in sick on election day? What a friend to the working man! nt

[mpcamb]

35. Take it to court

I don't think there's any other way to counter these anti-voter initiatives.

[freshwest]

36. The 2014 election season isn't waiting until November. Every day counts. Court works, takes time.

Not that pitchforks and torches will work either... One of my favorite sites I watch between bouts of DU is down right now... Over 600 people are commenting. Some say they are getting their pitchforks and ready to storm the firewall... LOL.

[CTyankee]

50. I'm not a lawyer but can't they get a TRO and get this change held up until the

case can be adjudicated?

[Deep13]

2. All I can say is that I intensely despise Ohio Rs.

They know they can't win in a fair fight, so they are rigging the system, just like they are doing with gerrymandering and ID requirements.

[Sunlei]

3. We need the Federal Gov have State votes through peoples, ss,irs,medicaid,medicare,military records

The Federal Gov. knows exactly who we are and exactly where we live through our records with them.

Bypass the Republicans who hate on anyone they fear will not vote for them.

[AgingAmerican]

4. Election fraud

Call it what it is.

[lark]

5. Craven and despicable.

Those are the two nicest words I can think of to describe these Repugs. The American ideal and constitution mean nothing to them, power for the rich is everything. D i s g u s t i n g!!!

[albino65]

6. There is no mistake why they do it.

“I guess I really actually feel we shouldn’t contort the voting process to accommodate the urban — read African-American — voter-turnout machine,” said Doug Preisse, chairman of the county Republican Party and elections board member who voted against weekend hours, in an email to The Dispatch. “Let’s be fair and reasonable.”
He called claims of unfairness by Ohio Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern and others “bullshit. Quote me!”


Believe me, I will not stop quoting this bastard. I do not know why someone doesn't file a civil rights case against these assholes.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/us/politics/ohio-early-voting-battle-flares-after-racial-comment-by-republican-official.html?_r=0

This was two years ago. They never let up, and we shouldn't either. This statement needs to be put up on billboards.

[liberal N proud]

7. Keeping people from voting is the only plan the republicans have

They have now ideas, just obstructions.

[olddad56]

27. well said, when is the last time a republican has won an Presidential election that wasn't rigged?

over 20 years ago at least.

[mac56]

45. They can't win a fair fight

and they know it.

[Coyotl]

8. Expect to see a lot of this as state legislatures act this round. Loser desperation!

The Rs know they are fighting a losing battle unless they can fix the results by whatever and every means possible.

[JustAnotherGen]

9. Typical Republican

This is what Republicans do. And you are correct - voting hours should be expanded - but voting rights won't be a key part of the Democratic Platform and initiatives until . . .

[aggiesal]

10. Good thing the Supreme Court says . . .

that there is no racism in this country since they overturned parts of the voting rights act,
because it might actually look like this was done on purpose.

[Cha]

11. OHIO>> VOTE THE ASSHOLES OUT.

[gopiscrap]

12. Hope a federal court overturns that!

[Botany]

13. this will make it all the harder for republicans to get elected ...

.... because the people who are being screwed will get pissed off and vote.

trust me on this.

[tofuandbeer]

14. Why aren't there federal laws to voters from all of this? This is nuts!

[rtracey]

15. why

Why is early voting key to the "black" vote. It should be key to " ALL" voters. IF they cut times to vote, then suck it up and get in there on the days they can vote. DON'T LIE DOWN AND ALLOW ANYONE TO TAKE AWAY YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE.. If the right passes a law thay says you need ID, then go get ID..the govt will supply ID for free in most cases and help get you to the place to get it. COME ON FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS.

[Botany]

16. I have done election protection work in OH

One of the big reasons why the republicans want to stop as much early voting as
possible because they are very good at screwing with election day but if you
give people a month or so to vote there is little they can do about that.

[jeff47]

23. It isn't the "black" vote. It's the "not-rich" vote.

Election day is not necessarily an easy day to vote. Most people work on Tuesdays. If you're in a well-paid position, your boss won't mind if you leave in the middle of the day to vote. If you're not in a well-paid position, your boss will fire you if you try to leave in the middle of the day to vote.

Voting before or after work has problems of long lines, because of everyone else trying to vote before or after work. Add in kids to care for and similar responsibilities, and that 2-hour line becomes a very large obstacle.

Plus it's really easy to screw with voters based on income, since you vote near home. Arbitrarily decide to cut the number of voting machines in half where the poor folks live, and that 2-hour line becomes a 4-hour line.

Early voting destroys these tactics - the voter can fit in voting around their job's schedule, you don't build up a very long line because of the much longer voting period, and most early voting is done at common locations instead of at an election-day precinct.

.the govt will supply ID for free in most cases and help get you to the place to get it.

False.

First, few states offer a free ID.

Second, the ID typically requires other non-free documentation. I can't get a state ID without a birth certificate. A certified copy of my birth certificate costs $60. So even if my state gave out IDs for free, I would have to pay to get documentation required to get the free ID. Not to mention I'd still have to provide some proof of my address, like a utility bill. What do I do if I'm an 18-year-old living at home, and Mom & Dad pay the bills?

Third, you've got the same problem as early voting. The DMV issues the state IDs. They're open normal business hours. If I'm working a low-wage job, it's unlikely that the boss will give me time off to get the ID. And if I were to go around the edges of the workday, you run into the same problem as voting around the edges of the day. Long lines as large numbers of people try to fit it in.

COME ON FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS.

Hierarchy of needs. You can't fight for your rights when you are fighting for your food and shelter. Which is also from the same playbook as the voting restrictions.

What we need is to change "election day". Instead of one Tuesday, it needs to be both a Saturday and a Sunday, and all employers would be required to give one of those days off - employees that work that Saturday can not work that Sunday, and vice-versa. That makes it far easier to vote on election day, which makes early voting far less critical.

And proponents of voter ID laws should have to demonstrate in-person voter fraud actually occurs before we require IDs to vote.

[LynneSin]

17. Updated headline: Kacish's pole numbers are tanking and looks like he could lose this year

just saying.

He's one of the governors that came riding on the Tea Party wave. Many of those governors are looking to be dredged back out to sea in 2014.

[BodieTown]

18. And Ohioans Are Going to Strongly React By...

...voting republican in 2014 and 2016.

[jtuck004]

19. Not a problem. Start a list of businesses that encourage their workers to vote and give them

time to do so, and quit doing business with those that don't, or shut them down on voting day, suggest the business owner send a thank you card to Husted.

Or something else. That many voters could have a heck of an economic impact - they are far from powerless.

[Lochloosa]

20. Florida all over again. And it worked so well for them in '12.

[giftedgirl77]

51. Manatee County FL has plans to close 30% of

their voting prescients, coincidence? I think not

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4765982

[glowing]

21. The very idea that voting isn't highlighted as a patriotic

duty, with a week long celebration/ national holiday (paid time off or mandatory allowance for voting), and govt services coming around to homes that need assistance getting to the polls to cast a ballot in our "democratic" country, that supposedly the rest of the world should emulate, is tragic when the reverse occurs.

It is sad that a party or leaders have to resort to these shenanigans in order to keep voter/ citizen participation in choosing their representative to low turn out... ALL because they know they are failing the average citizen and are no longer working for the good of the people.

When Rick Scott did this in Fl, it had the opposite effect. People knew they were being disenfranchised and they stood in longer lines and became creative in getting people to the polls... Also, people are taking advantage of the mail in ballot. I know my husband and I do; this way I can work on GOTV during election time. Plus, I have time to check out the Judges and school board elections. People filling those seats are sometimes more important than a Mayor or House Rep because they effect on the ground day to day items that concerns our lives or our children's lives.

[jeff47]

26. Mail-in ballot does have a danger

It makes vote-buying practical.

Right now, vote-buying doesn't happen because it isn't practical. The buyer has no idea if you actually voted the way you claim. But with mail-in ballots, the buyer can make you hand over the filled-out ballot and only pay if you voted the way they wanted.

Mail-in ballots haven't been done in a situation where a couple million in bribes was available, and could swing the state. So far, only OR has done it in very large numbers, and OR wasn't a swing state in that time.

Basically, if the Brooks Brothers riot didn't lead to any charges, I really don't think Republicans would refrain from vote-buying in a swing state.

[Thunderbeast]

32. Oregon's Vote by Mail is Safe and Secure

Fear of vote buying has simply not happened in the nearly twenty years that Oregon has used mail-in ballots exclusively. Oregon WAS a competitive state in Presidential elections prior to 2008. Our last governor's race was decided by less than a two percent margin. Until 2006, we had a Republican Senator. To say that Vote by Mail has not been tested is simply untrue.

Vote by Mail is safe and reliable. Unlike traditional elections based on physical polling places, Vote by Mail allows each voter's signature to be compared to the signature obtained at registration. Ballots are collected with the voter's signature on the reply envelope. Inside that envelope is a "SECRECY ENVELOPE" that contains the completed ballot for processing. In the very rare case that the voter's signature is in question, the elections officials can notify the voter of the problem, and obtain verification.

Vote by Mail is loved by most Oregon citizens. Nobody stands in line. Nobody has to arrange for child care. Nobody needs time off of work. In the nearly twenty years that the system has been in place, I have no memory of any cases of coercion, vote buying, or fraud being charged. Families can use the process to research and discuss their decisions over the kitchen table (if they want to), even for the down-ballot candidates and issues that do not get much attention before voters are confronted with a decision that they see for the first time on the ballot.

It makes no sense to me that Ohio and other states let elections officials continue to make voting so damn difficult for their citizens. Oregon, in my opinion, has solved this potential problem. Elections have legitimacy here. Vote by Mail eliminates the temptation for partisan voting officials to "stack the deck" in the voting machine allocation process.

[olegramps]

22. The Republians are absolutely disgusting.

We need a constitutional amendment that would put all elections to national offices under federal control. I am also dead set against life-time appointments of federal judgeships. Rather than providing for independence they have become just as partisan as the congress.

[heaven05]

24. of course

last election turnout scared the hell out of the RW asshole snakes in this country. If people think it's worth voting, we'll vote. The RW assholes are making it difficult. Carpools are one answer. Churches and the NAACP better get fleets of buses or 8 passenger vans to facilitate voting. Any other democratic left leaning groups should be thinking the same thing. I don't know how practical, but ideas are what will counter these RW jerks.

[AverageJoe90]

25. More than anything else, it's to harm us Democrats!

Of course, it's become rather plain to see that racism and other prejudices have played a not-too-insignificant role in this as well, but classism also plays its own part, but more than anything, it's a strike against Democrats in general. The .1% are scared of us liberals. And they'll do anything to stave off their demise. *Anything*.

[Tarheel_Dem]

28. Meanwhile, "internet" liberals everywhere are consumed with Obama listening to their phone calls.

Women's rights, voter rights, minority rights, economic fairness, cardcheck and other pocketbook issues used to be of primary concern for "liberals". Nowadays, they've fallen victim to the Pied Piper of Brazil, whose only concern is self-promotion and self enrichment ($$$$$). My only consolation is that they're pretty much contained "Underground", where they're not much of a threat to themselves or others.

[Dustlawyer]

29. Call it for what it is, UN-AMERICAN!!!

Ok, turn over your flag pins Repugs, you lost the right to wear them!

[Bandit]

30. "and end the practice of mailing absentee ballots. "

What exactly does this mean? No more Absentee Voting? Democrats MUST get off their ass and DEMAND "Vote By Mail" or just let the GOP run rampant.

[Travis_0004]

31. About 2% of total votes cast were cast on days/times that were being eliminated

Source http://www.nova-ohio.org/Racial%20and%20ethnic%20proportions%20of%20early%20in-person%20voting.pdf

Also, that 2% figure doesn't break down saturday/sunday, and Saturday voting will still be around, so the actual figure is less.

Ohio had several lawsuits because rural (white counties) had limited early voting hours. They were smaller counties, with smaller populations/budgets, and didn't want to be open as much as a large county. As a result of those lawsuits, Ohio is trying to have uniform hours statewide

I agree that expanding the days would be best, but there are still 23 days to vote. You can also request an absentee ballot, no excuse needed. I doubt people will not be able to make it on any of the 23 days, and if that is the case vote absentee.

States with no early voting: http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/absentee-and-early-voting.aspx
MO
MS
AL
SC
VA
KY
MI
PA
NY
DE
MA
NH
CT
RI
MN

Are all these states racist as well and trying to suppress votes?

States that don't allow absentee ballots without an excuse.
TX
LA
AR
TN
IN
TN
WV.


Ohio probably has better voting laws than 20+ states. I'm not saying that the changes in Ohio were good. But I'm also not going to run around and claim the sky is falling like some people in this thread.

[merrily]

38. What about also ending entirely absentee voting, though?

From the OP article:

Husted’s announcement comes on the heels of other Ohio initiatives to suppress turnout. Ohio just passed two bills that eliminates an entire week of early voting and end the practice of mailing absentee ballots.

[Travis_0004]

40. They didn't end absentee ballots

They just won't have some counties send out unsolicited absentee ballots. If you want to vote absentee, you can still request one, and you don't have to give a reason why you want one.

[merrily]

41. I don't know of any state that just mails out absentee ballots that

no one has requested (aka unsolicited). Something is off somewhere.

[Travis_0004]

47. They didn't send actual ballots, but applications unsolicited.

I know its true, since I've received them.

[merrily]

48. Not what the OP article says, though.

Also, in my experience, the cities and towns deal with absentee ballots, not the state. And, even though I live in a blue state in a blue city with no early voting, I've never heard of a locale sending out even applications unsolicited.

I don't doubt your experience, but I cannot explain it. It is certainly not typical. Your receiving something in the mail is not proof of a policy, though.

[merrily]

49. Okay, I found another article that is clearer.

Apparently, in Ohio, it's individual counties that do or do not send out unsolicited applications for absentee ballots. However, a recent state law says that the counties cannot do that.

[blkmusclmachine]

33. Of course they do. And the DEMS repsonse...???

[marias23]

34. Ohio Dems Must Step Up Voter Transportation

Outflank those SOBs.

[merrily]

39. Not only voter transportation. And not only Ohio.

First, voter education. Make sure everyone in each and every state knows what the rules are--and who to contact about changing them. For only two examples, make sure people know if their state requires a photo ID and make sure they know whom to notify when they move from one part of a city to another. Make sure everyone knows about absentee ballots, too.

Second, help get the photo ID or anything else they need to vote--and start now. My state does not require much for voting, but I had to get a photo ID for banking purposes. It took me a long time and a few payments to get records, photos, etc. The payments were okay for me, but they are not okay for the very poor.

Third, get people registered to vote.

Now, get them to the polls.

[merrily]

37. Educate voters about absentee ballots!

[Theyletmeeatcake2]

42. Why don't you just get rid of Tuesday voting and put it on a Saturday????.

Less messing around for voters which must mean it's more democratic...and while you're at it piss off those voting machines and bring in paper ballots....there you go all fixed....where do I send the bill..

[bobGandolf]

43. This type of SH....CRAP is despicable!

How the hell can he justify the cuts without a smile on his face? This is not a money saving issue, it's making voting harder for everyone, but the black population, in particular. Last time the courts stepped in, but the dems in Ohio need to get their crap together and vote them out of office.

[Hekate]

44. This is a national disgrace. We need a new Voting Rights Act, permanent Federal laws...

...that lay out the whole process for every voter in every state in the country, no exceptions. Maybe we need to make Election Day a federal holiday, or mandate extending it for a week, or guarantee time off from work with penalties for employers who try to punish employees for taking time off. Make sure every precinct has more than ample voting booths, extend the hours.

Just for Gods' sake make it a federal crime in every state in the nation to block citizens from voting.

[Theyletmeeatcake2]

46. Hear,hear!!!

[Tippy]

52. Where in the HELL is SCOTUS ??????????

[ladjf]

53. The voting rights criminality marches on and on. nt

[sakabatou]

54. Their pulling this shit again

[Auntie Bush]

55. Even voting on Tuesday is discriminary because poor people can't afford to take time off to vote.

If we had two days of voting on the weekend we could solve a lot of problems.