COLUMBUS, Ohio – A coalition of black lawmakers, clergy and civil rights leaders are backing an Ohio constitutional amendment guaranteeing certain voter protections in the perennial battleground.
The Voter Bill of Rights petition drive was launched with a Columbus rally Thursday ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“Today in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, we launched a grassroots people’s campaign movement protect our voting rights through a voter bill of rights to be placed in the Ohio Constitution. It’s time to make the dream real,” said state Rep. Alicia Reece (D-Cincinnati), president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.
Bishop Timothy Clarke of First Church of God in Columbus called on Ohio churches to help collect signatures needed to get the measure on the statewide ballot in November.
The measure would expand early voting times on weekends and make other changes. The effort responds to a June decision by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down a section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. A bevy of states have toughened voter laws since the ruling.
Proponents say such measures guard against voter fraud. Critics say the new restrictions are aimed at suppressing low-income voters, particularly minorities.