Why aren’t our friends on the other side of the aisle democracy enthusiasts?
County boards of election must stop early in-person voting as of 6 p.m. Friday, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has advised, prompting Democrats to cry foul. This occurs as a number of counties are reporting higher-than-usual absentee mail-in and early in-person voting for an off-year election, perhaps driven by interest in high-profile ballot issues such as Issue 2, which affects collective bargaining.
The early voting issue was created by a voter referendum effort on a controversial overhaul of state election law, House Bill 194, that had a spillover effect on separate legislation, House Bill 224, containing some similar language. The referendum effort has placed House Bill 194 on hold indefinitely, but the latter law passed unanimously and took effect last week.
As a result, Mr. Husted, a Republican, issued an advisory to boards of election in mid-October that early voting is prohibited during the last three days before Tuesday’s election. The Lucas County Board of Elections had scheduled business hours for Saturday and Sunday but canceled them to comply with last month’s advisory. Democrats, however, contend Mr. Husted based his advisory on a law dealing primarily with military ballots that had its legs cut out from under it by the referendum on the first law.
In Lucas County, roughly half of 16,150 absentee ballots requested as of yesterday had been returned. Elections Director Ben Roberts reported the board has received them at the pace of roughly 170 per day, up from an average of 123 at about the same time before the November, 2010, election. “We expect a deluge in the last two days,” he said.
Briefly, Democrats and allies gathered half a million signatures to delay a voter suppression law passed by the Ohio GOP. Now Republicans are using a different law to shut down early voting in some areas, because Democrats have gotten better at “banking votes”, or, getting our voters out prior to election day so it isn’t as crazy on election day.
I don’t know if we’re going to defeat John Kasich’s union-busting law, a law that was loudly endorsed last week by each and every GOP candidate for President, but I think this tactic will backfire. People love early voting, and they love convenient hours for voting, because those things make sense.
One really does have to wonder about a US political party who get all creative with directives and start putting the hammer down when people vote. Too much voting going on here, peons. Cut that out. This must be another brand-new, bed-rock principle of the ever-evolving Conservative Movement.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
I have always said the main impetus behind Republican voter suppression activity is to stem the demographic tidal wave that will sweep them away permanently.
They can’t fight biology. But they’ve had 150 years practice in rigging the system so that only the “right” people vote.
Ruckus
I wonder if long voting lines influence voter turnout? I also wonder why I could vote in CA and never wait more than 5 minutes but in OH I have stood in line for over 2 hours. Both of these situations are from a few years ago, I live in CA again and vote by mail now. Are the precincts smaller in CA?
kay
@Ruckus:
I think long lines do influence vote totals. The fact is some people can’t stand there two hours.
This nonsense happens every time we have a GOP Sec of State. Constantly changing directives to Bds of Elections, weird legal interpretations pop up, all kinds of stupid shit. I’ve become accustomed to it.
Democrats have gotten better at screaming it from the rooftops and using maneuvers to blunt the effect, but it sucks, because it turns the whole exercise into a kind of game, and leaves well-intentioned poll workers (both sides) in the middle of a fight they didn’t start, and don’t want.
ant
wait, what?
what is the reason for this?
Comrade Carter
I agree that people “love” early voting, however I think they’re wrong (although if it was allowed it should be allowed to go on.)
I think they’re wrong because I believe there is a social and political part to voting, and to the extent people can be made to vote IN PERSON, it’s a good thing.
For the record: I am a Socialist.
kay
@ant:
Because they’re relying on a portion of another law that was intended to apply to military and overseas ballots.
The real reason? Because the groups they disfavor have gotten better at organizing early voting (‘banking votes’) and the groups conservatives disfavor need polling places open on Saturday and Sunday to bank those votes.
Again, we’re used to these tactics. We’ll adjust, and they’ll push back, and we’ll adjust again.
Roger Moore
@ant:
The real reason or the ostensible reason? I’m not sure what the ostensible reason is, but it’s obvious that the main reason is because the SoS thinks early voting will hurt the Republicans. That’s all that really matters.
rikryah
they are lowdown mofos.
and thanks for the update
Citizen Alan
@Comrade Carter:
In principle, I agree with you, but in practice, the way we do voting in this country discriminates against the working class who can’t take off for hours to wait in line at the voting booth. Personally, I think we should just move Veteran’s day to the second Tuesday in November. There are no surviving American WWI veterans, so there is no real reason to keep it on November 14th just to commemorate the Armistice, and any civic events scheduled to honor veterans of other wars will only encourage everyone in this civic responsibility to vote that day.
ant
so how did that law work?
Was it to insure that those ballots got back to OH in time for the election?
What is this Husted guy saying his reason for this is?
Just sounds weird to me. why not vote a few days early?
Violet
Kay, I heard a guy from Ohio who was very knowledgeable about Ohio elections on an NPR show yesterday. The subject of that segment was the union busting law and the attempt to overturn it. I turned on the radio near the end of the discussion with the show’s host.
Then a firefighter called in saying he was “a pretty conservative guy, but this has completely changed my view of the Republican party.” He’s against the law, but said his family and friends are on both sides of it and it’s caused problems at work, at home, at parties, etc. They’ve had to make a rule not to discuss it because it’s so divisive.
I don’t know if you heard it or not, and I’m sorry I am not certain which show it was, but I think it might have been NPR’s Talk of the Nation. I was pleased to hear they were discussing the issue at length. Even that much surprised me.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Citizen Alan: Veterans Day is November 11th.
kay
@Violet:
I’m glad it’s on the radio, too. It has been really interesting, politically and personally. Odd alliances. Palling around with police officers. Like that.
I talked to a local (young) police officer yesterday who has taken a leadership position in his union, when he was completely disinterested before. That’s great because when I was in a union, the only people who showed up were retirees. They need younger, active members.
It was easy for me to decide, because two great activist Democrats here (and great people, incidentally) both union members, called a meeting and asked for help, and there’s just no way “we” would turn either of them down.
So for me it was like: “Al and Chuck are freaking out about this law, and, really, that’s all we need to know”. They’ve helped on every single liberal or Democratic issue/candidate we’ve worked on here, and I know they weren’t (personally) affected or 100% on board for all of it, so helping them out on “their” issue was an easy call.
Keep your fingers crossed next Tuesday, and hope for a “NO”.
It’s turned into a Huge Important Must Win Thing :)
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@kay: Kay, as I’ve mentioned, I’m mildly heartened by the many (some quite large) handcrafted “NO ON ISSUE 2” signs I’ve seen traveling throughout Warren County. I’ve been to some out of the way meetings to give levy speeches (MH levy up for renewal) and I’ve been struck by the sheer number of them. As you know, Shannon Jones is the Warren County state senator. It seems telling.
Violet
@kay:
I really hope the “No” votes prevail. Fingers crossed. I did some looking, and it was Talk of the Nation. You can listen to the podcast here if you’re interested. And here’s the blog entry on it, which gives the info on who’s on the show.
Davis X. Machina
The people debate. The Party decides. The people follow.This is how democratic centralism works.
The GOP is the last major Leninist parliamentary party in the West.
jefft452
Republicans believe in the sacred principle of : One Man, One Vote …… One Time
Once your Governor’s mansion and State House is infested with Teabaggers, the first thing they do is change all the election laws so you cant throw the bums out
lou
@Davis X. Machina:
You know, there is a Russian folk saying: “Choose your enemies carefully because you will become like them.”
Seems to me the Republicans have become like the communist party of the old Soviet Union. Leaders chosen by ideological purity — check. Incompetence not held against you if you have the ideological purity — check. If you say something loudly, that makes it true — check.