COLUMBUS – The last pending legal challenge to Ohio’s voting laws died a quick death Monday when it was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.
And, according to a report in The Columbus Dispatch, thousands of Ohio voters could have their ballots thrown out as a result, the attorney who filed the lawsuit says.
Justice Elena Kagan dismissed the matter after consulting with the other seven members of the high court, her one-sentence decision indicated.
“This case has been ongoing in Ohio, taking many forms, under the administration of three Secretaries of State, both Democratic and Republican, and it is time for the chaos and waste of taxpayer money to come to an end. I stated previously that the appellate opinion was a reasonable and workable solution, but it is clear that plaintiffs are interested only in causing last minute confusion. With the rules now in place, election officials can continue with the important work of administering a fair and smooth election next week.” –Statement from Ohio Secy. of State Jon Husted
The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Columbus Coalition for the Homeless and the Ohio Democratic Party asked Kagan late last week to halt enforcement of two 2014 state laws adding restrictions to the absentee and provisional voting process. The groups said the statutes — upheld by a federal appeals court — apply only to eligibility rules for counting ballots, so it wasn’t too late for a change even though Ohioans have been casting early votes for more than two weeks.
But Solicitor Eric Murphy, testifying on behalf of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, called the groups’ request “tardy” and “ill-timed,” saying, “It fails every factor required for such extraordinary relief.”
At issue is how accurately Ohio voters have to fill out fields asking for name, address etc. on forms accompanying provisional and absentee ballots. The groups say thousands of Ohioans could have their entire ballot thrown out for tiny miscues.
Husted’s office estimates that 1.59 million absentee ballots had been requested as of Friday, Oct. 28, and that 1.05 million had been cast. Statewide, compared with nearly 2 million absentee ballots requested and more than 1.2 million ballots cast by Oct. 30, 2012.
Absentee ballot applications must be received by boards of elections by noon on Saturday, Nov. 5.