Today the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio ruled in favor of the Democratic National Committee and the Ohio Democratic Party’s motion for summary judgment to permanently maintain the final three days of early voting leading up to Election Day. In response, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern released the following statement:
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD (New York Times) – 6.09.14
Someday, after they figure out how to appeal to a broader swath of the electorate, Republicans will probably be embarrassed by how much time they have spent making it harder for Americans to vote. For now, though, the beat just goes on. In a misguided effort to hold on to power despite an ever-shrinking base of older white voters, Republican lawmakers around the country continue to impose all sorts of barriers to the ballot box.
Husted dodges responsibility for his policies in campaign year
Yesterday, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted released a press release claiming that recent changes to Ohio voting laws makes Ohio “one of the easiest places to vote in the nation.” In reality, each of the bills cited by Husted actually make voting harder in Ohio. In response, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern issued the following statement:
FitzGerald: “The new restrictions that Governor Kasich has signed into law amount to legalized discrimination, plain and simple.”
Ohio’s cuts to early voting discriminate against blacks and Hispanics in violation of the Voting Rights Act, a new lawsuit alleges.
After a week of threats from Republican Party officials to make mailing absentee ballot applications more difficult in Ohio, Cuyahoga County Executive and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald appeared on MSNBC to discuss his role in making voting easier for Ohioans in 2014 and 2012 – as well as the relevance of new voter suppression laws for the 2016 presidential election.
