[JURIST] A panel for the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit [official website] ruled Wednesday that the district court’s order that expands Ohio’s voting schedule can remain in effect. Earlier this month US District Court Judge Peter Economus ruled that an Ohio law that cut down the 35 days of early in-person voting violates the US Constitution and the Voting Rights Act, and ordered [JURIST report] Ohio to restore the full 35 days, including the “golden week” where residents can register to vote and cast early ballots on the same day. The order moved the start of early voting from October 7 to September 30. Lawyers for the state argued [AP report] that the early voting schedule exceeds most states and does not burden voters. Voting rights groups claimed the law would disproportionately affect low-income and black voters.

Voting laws have been a contested subject in the US recently, especially voter ID laws [JURIST backgrounder]. Last month a federal judge denied a request [JURIST report] by Wisconsin’s Attorney General JB Van Hollen to stay the April ruling against the state’s voter identification laws. Earlier in August the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] 4-3 in favor of Act 23, further complicated the voter ID situation in the state. In order for the voter ID requirements to take effect in time for November’s elections, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit must overturn the District Court’s ruling. In May Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett announced [JURIST report] that the Office of General Counsel would not pursue an appeal in defense of the Commonwealth’s voter identification law. The law, passed in March 2012, required all voters to submit a government issued photo ID in order to vote in all elections. In April a judge for the Pulaski County Circuit Court for the 6th Division struck down [JURIST report] an Arkansas voter ID law, finding that it violates the state constitution. In October the Tennessee Supreme Court unanimously rejected [JURIST report] a movement to overturn the Tennessee Voter Identification Act, ruling that a requirement of government-issued photo ID for voters is constitutional.