COLUMBUS, Ohio – Attorneys for Ohio are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to delay a federal judge’s order that expands its early voting schedule this fall.
Ohio attorneys requested an emergency stay from the nation’s high court on Thursday, saying the swing state’s voting options are among the most expansive.
“There are bigger issues at play that whether Ohioans vote over 35 or 28 days and this is another step in protecting state’s rights,” said Secretary of State Jon Husted in a statement issued by his office.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked an Ohio law trimming early voting and ordered the state’s election chief to set additional times, including evening hours. The order moved the start of early voting to Sept. 30 instead of Oct. 7.
A three-judge panel of a federal appeals court upheld the order on Wednesday.
The state is appealing the panel’s decision to the full 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati and is asking the high court to put the judge’s order on hold because it believes there is a chance the full court will overturn it, according to the documents filed by Attorney General Mike DeWine and Husted.