COLUMBUS, Ohio – An attempt to guarantee certain voter protections in Ohio’s constitution has hit a snag.
Attorney General Mike DeWine rejected the petition for the proposed “Ohio Voters Bill of Rights” on Thursday, saying its summary was not a fair and truthful statement of the proposal.
The proposed ballot initiative, supported by a coalition of black lawmakers, clergy and civil rights leaders, would expand early voting times on weekends and make other changes to election rules.
In a statement released by his office, DeWine said he rejected the summary wording because it contained at least two misrepresentations regarding issues where the Ohio Constitution is pre-empted by federal law. In the letter he sent to the supporters of the measure, DeWine says, he explained that the two areas where he objected were not “an exhaustive list of all defects in the submitted summary.”
DeWine said a provision allowing voters to prove their identity by presenting a college ID, saying they are not among the forms of identification allowed in federal law for first time voters who registered by mail and have never voted in a federal election.
In the statement, DeWine said the summary also made a “misleading representation” of state law by claiming that a section of the state constitution prohibits a voter who fails to vote for four consecutive years from casting a ballot. Federal law has superseded this provision since 1993, DeWine said.
DeWine must certify the summary’s phrasing before supporters can continue with their ballot push and eventually collect signatures to get it before voters.
The petition drive comes as a discussion is taking place across the country about attempts to reduce early-voting hours and pass laws requiring voters to present photo ID’s at polling places. Both are seen as efforts, mainly by Republicans, to make it more difficult for young, lower-income and minority voters who tend to be Democratic supporters to cast ballots.