Ohio – A federal judge blocked several restrictions on the casting and counting of absentee ballots instituted by the Republican Secretary of State. This is the second defeat to GOP-backed voting restrictions in the state in the last two weeks.
- GOP voting procedures have been rebuffed on constitutional grounds by both Democrat and Republican judges. Officials still plan to appeal. Read more in the Columbus Dispatch.
- Another federal judge restored the state’s elimination of a specific time period that eligible voters could register and cast an absentee ballot on the same day. A shortened early voting period was also restored. Read more in the Columbus Dispatch.
- The federal judge in this latest case commented extensively on the political and racial undertones of the administrative procedures adopted by Ohio officials. Read more in the Columbus Dispatch.
- Evidence heard by the court included an email from a top Republican official referring to the “urban voter turnout machine.” Read/watch more at MSNBC.com.
- A recent Reuters study of voter purging practices in Ohio, a critical swing state in presidential elections – found widespread disparities in who gets purged and who does not.
