Ohio courts favor voter access in a series of decisions concerning absentee ballots Commentary
Ohio courts favor voter access in a series of decisions concerning absentee ballots
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Carrie L. Davis [Staff Counsel, ACLU of Ohio]: "It's been an eventful week for Ohio voters. Absentee voting began on Tuesday, September 30th. The deadline for registration is Monday, October 6th. And during this one week, courts across the state have ruled on numerous cases relating to voters' access to absentee ballots.

Importantly, every single court has ruled to give the voters more access, not less, to the ballot. Four courts – the Ohio Supreme Court, Northern District Federal Court, Southern District Federal Court, and Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals – all refused to place an unconstitutional "waiting period" on new voters before they can request an absentee ballot. Later in the same week, the Ohio Supreme Court said that absentee ballot requests must be honored, regardless of format differences.

Many across the country are watching this bellweather state and, as a result, every election decision has potentially great consequences. We're off to a good start if our courts recognize the imporance of maintaining access to the ballot for all eligible voters."

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