I wrote about a conference call we had here in Ohio on voting rights the other night, and we had some good news on that front today:
Just two weeks after enacting sweeping reforms in Ohio’s elections system, lawmakers were already back Wednesday rethinking some of what they had done.Perhaps the most significant development was what did not happen — enactment of a requirement that voters show a government-issued photo identification card before casting a ballot. The Ohio Senate went home for the summer without touching that controversial issue.
Secretary of State Jon Husted had spoken out against the attempt by fellow Republicans to add the photo ID requirement.
“Today should be viewed as a victory for what didn’t happen,” Mr. Husted said Wednesday. “The Senate did not enact a draconian photo identification law, and I thank them for hearing my concerns.’
A local board of elections member told me today Republicans were “shamed” into dropping the draconian provisions, but I don’t believe that.
I think voter advocates did a great job testifying at hearing, and media gave the issue some coverage (only) because the GOP Secretary of State came out against it. Too, our Governor Kasich (who was once a media personality at Murdoch-owned Fox News) is very unpopular. Republicans in the legislature who would like to stay in the legislature may be reconsidering their lemming-like support of his far Right agenda.
I noticed the zany but lovable gang on Morning Joe are doing their best to pump up Kasich’s numbers, though, just as his former co-workers at Fox News did when he was running for governor. That’s worrying. I don’t know that I’m up for another Kasich sales job, so soon after the last one.
We here in Ohio were way better off when our governor didn’t merit the attention of the national media celebrities, back when our governor was a Democrat.
gbear
Hooray for today in Ohio.
Mike Kay (Team America)
Morning Joe? You mean the guy who had to resign from congress because he was caught with a dead girl.
With friends like that Kasich, who needs enemies.
kay
Right? You take these small victories where you can get them :)
The college students were so mournful and disheartened on the conference call I could barely drag my ass back home and into bed, after. Just some sad people.
We should have cupcakes. Someone who can bake (not me!) has to bring enough for everyone.
kay
I’m a little nutty on them. I used to watch the show just to seethe at them, but then I had to stop doing even that.
They’re what’s wrong with America. Nutshell. Them, basically.
ruemara
I celebrate your victories, no matter how small. And if I could bake (accidentally cut the power running to my stove and now have no stove, yay me?) I would ship you guys some cupcakes. Cupcakes for communists!
artem1s
I know there is a petition drive to overturn the existing legislation. I hope it works but I’m worried it will take away from the SB5 efforts.
I hate the ID portion but am more disturbed that poll workers can freely and knowingly disenfranchise voters. The oath they take should mean something.
Elizabelle
Kay, I am very grateful that you and your colleagues do the hard and frustrating work behind the scenes to mitigate damage and advocate for what you know is best.
Disenfranchising college students and people who aren’t experienced voters. Scandalous.
At least, it should be a scandal.
kay
There’s a court battle behind that (conservatives are always working toward a binding decision, on everything).
Briefly, there is a live dispute in Ohio now between federal courts and state courts on whether poll worker error means a vote gets thrown out. The Democrats (and the federal judge) say “ballot stays in”. The Republicans (and the state supremes) say “ballot thrown out”.
That’s what they want. That’s the legal end game. They want to gut or eliminate the “voter intent” analysis that goes on in close races (like Franken’s race, you’ll recall).
And that’s the reason for the bizarre pollworker language.
kay
Just to be clear, I didn’t testify, or do any of the advocacy to change the law. Some of the people on the call did all that. I do voter protection locally, and only on or around election day. They do this all the time, year in, year out.
cckids
Kay @ #3: Cupcakes don’t ship very well. How about cookies?
Lost in America
Looks like we’re dodging the photo ID bullet here in MN…sadly, WI did not.
The wingnuts try to make the argument that this is reasonable legislation and act surprised that anyone would oppose it, but they would be going BONKERS if Minnesota required a photo ID card for firearm possession.
What’s worse…voting with questionable ID or packing heat with questionable ID?
policomic
Glad to see some good news, though it sucks that things have gotten to the point where the disenfranchisement lobby getting less than they were reaching for counts as good news.
Here in MN it looks like Governor Dayton has had to conditionally surrender to the Rethugs so that the shutdown doesn’t become permanent. He probably had to do it, but damn.
ExurbanMom
Got an email from Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern today talking about how Kasich said, on national TV, that Ohio is “dying.” That’s just the kind of leadership we need in Ohio! A governor who doesn’t believe in our state or in his leadership ability to make things better! Yay Buckeye State! sheesh.
El Cid
No one ever seems to mention, perhaps not even recall, how utterly beloved Kasich was by the media as a ‘deficit hawk’ in the Clinton years with the ‘Republican Revolution’ of ’94.
It’s not like this shit started just when he appeared on Fox News & Warrantless Wiretapping Extravaganzafest.
kay
I do know about that, but it doesn’t fit in 500 words.
I watched an HBO documentary the other night, Hot Coffee, about the media-conservative joint effort to bar individual citizen entry to the civil legal system. LAWSUIT ABUSE! You recall that McDonalds hot coffee case, where media and conservatives lied about and smeared the older woman who suffered massive burn injuries re: McDonalds?
I’m sitting there, and who appears on the screen selling the lies? Why, it’s Kasich! He was one of the point men on that, along with then-Governor Bush.
I think they’ll be promoting Kasich for the next twenty years. The Morning Joe clip is surreal, because it’s now-media personality but former Congressman Joe promoting now-governor but former media personality John. They could switch chairs, and probably will switch chairs, at some point. I’m looking forward to John “interviewing” Joe.
NonyNony
@ExurbanMom
Everything that comes out of Kasich’s mouth makes more sense when you realize that he utterly hates and loathes Ohio and the people who live here.
Once you understand just how much the man loathes the state you will understand why he says what he says.
That’s why I think he’s going to be a one-termer. He’s going to wreck as much of the state as he can in one term and then leave. Because he wants to get back to New York and DC and his cushy Fox News gig and get the hell out of Columbus and the “low paying” governor’s job.
dj spellchecka
@kay…thanks for the update…
heard something on my local npr news about a provision in the law that restricts officials from sending out requested absentee ballots….
did i hear that correctly? what can you tell me?
ps
in other ohio news, former republican governors voinovich and taft are against the lake erie water law that current republicans passed that’s sitting on kasich’s desk
cheers
dj
dj spellchecka
@artem1s
if there’s a ballot issue to overturn part of this voting bill, it won’t be voted on until 2012…