COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s elections chief says he wants the full appellate court to review a federal judge’s ruling that expands the swing state’s voting schedule this fall.
A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the order on Wednesday.
“This ruling eliminates elected officials’ ability to do what we elected them to do. That’s wrong and I must appeal this case,” Secretary of State Jon Husted said. “Whether we vote 35 or 28 days, by mail or in person this November, elected officials and not federal judges should be making Ohio law.”
In a Sept. 4 decision, U.S. District Judge Peter Economus temporarily blocked an Ohio law trimming early voting and ordered Husted to set additional times, including evening hours. The order moved the start of early voting to Tuesday instead of Oct. 7.
“Today’s ruling marks a great victory for thousands of Ohio voters who must use evenings, weekends and same-day voter registration to cast their ballot,” said Freda Levenson Ohio legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged a new voter law and one of Husted’s directives in May on behalf of the NAAC, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, and several African-American churches.
The groups claimed the law and another early voting measure would make it difficult for residents to vote and disproportionately affect low-income and black voters.
The ruling upheld today restored the first week of early voting, known as “Golden Week,” in which voters are able to register and cast a ballot on the same day, as well as evening early voting and multiple Sundays.
“We are gratified that the legal rights of Ohio voters have been protected. Today’s decision affirms that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act sets important boundaries for any who would seek to restrict that sacred right. The Department of Justice remains committed to enforcing those boundaries,” said US Attorney Steven Dettelbach.
“Time and again, Ohio’s GOP and Secretary Husted have shown that they will fight for less opportunity and fewer rights for Ohioans to vote. They ironically use voters’ tax dollars to wage costly legal battles that continue to expose their unconstitutional motivations for suppressing voting rights in our state,” said House Democratic Leader Tracy Maxwell Heard (D-Columbus).
Democrats and other critics of the more restrictive voting measures claim Republicans pushed them through to make it more difficult for traditionally Democratic voters, like young people and minorities, to cast ballots.