[JURIST] A federal judge ruled [order, PDF] Thursday that an Ohio law that cut down the 35 days of early in-person voting violates the US Constitution and the Voting Rights Act. US District Court Judge Peter Economus ordered 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 lawsuit was filed after the state legislature in February approved a law that truncated the 35 day period to 28, and eliminated the “golden week.” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed the suit on behalf of the Ohio Chapter of the NAACP and the League of Women Voters of Ohio [advocacy websites], arguing that it would suppress minorities and the impoverished. Judge Economus agreed, finding that the plaintiffs demonstrated a strong likelihood that the legislation would decrease the amount of opportunities for African Americans to participate in the electoral process. “This ruling will safeguard the vote for thousands of Ohioans during the midterm election,” said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project [statement]. “If these cuts had been allowed to remain in place, many voters would have lost a critical opportunity to participate in our democratic process this November. This is a huge victory for Ohio voters and for all those who believe in protecting the integrity of our elections.” Early voting in Ohio is scheduled to begin on September 30.

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.