Youngstown Daily Legal News

Democrats take advantage of court ruling, push bill to extend absent voting

TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News
Published: October 10, 2014

Another measure in a series of bills concerning absentee voting has been introduced into the Ohio General Assembly.

Senate Bill 362 would extend the period for in-person absent voting and specify the days and hours for early in-person voting.

The proposed legislation is jointly sponsored by Sens. Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati, and Nina Turner, D-Cleveland.

In response to an order from U.S. District Court Judge Peter Economus that encouraged the General Assembly to pass legislation restoring Ohio’s early voting schedule, Kearney and Turner said in a statement to lawmakers that they drafted SB 362 to address the court’s recommendations and requirements.

“This legislation sets default early in-person voting hours for boards of elections across the state, but still allows boards to alter their hours if they so choose,” the pair wrote.

According to the bill, the default early voting schedule would be as follows for the first three weeks of early in-person voting: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on the last day of registration, the hours would be extended to 9 p.m.

Beginning on the third Monday before election day the default schedule would be Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 8 p.m.

Starting on the second Monday before the election day opening hours would remain the same but weekday voting would be extended to 9 p.m., Saturday voting would end at 8 p.m. and Sunday voting would be extended to 8 p.m.

The default schedule calls for voting on the final Monday before election day to be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The proposed legislation states that if at least three members of a board of elections wish to implement a schedule other than default hours, each schedule must at least contain availability until 9 p.m. on the last day of voter registration and for the five weeks leading up to election day have a minimum of 30 hours on weekdays during the 35-day period.

At least 10 of the 30 hours would have to occur after 5 p.m.

The last two weekends before election day would have to offer a minimum of eight hours on Saturday and a minimum of four hours on Sunday.

On the final Monday, voting would have to be available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

If enacted, SB 362 would revise current law that states for all voters who are applying to vote absent voter’s ballots in person, ballots shall be printed and ready for use beginning on the first day after the close of voter registration before the election.

Under the bill, ballots would be available the 35th day before an election and would continue to be available for use through 2 p.m. on the final Monday before election day.

In his order, Economus stated that the recent changes to the state’s early-voting process narrowed access to the polls and especially affected minority voters.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has filed an emergency motion with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals requesting a full-court review of the case.

The filing asserts that the ruling conflicts with court precedent.

SB 362 has gained partisan support from Democratic Sens. Lou Gentile, Capri Cafaro, Joe Schiavoni, Tom Sawyer, Michael Skindell, Charleta Tavares and Edna Brown.

The bill is awaiting a committee assignment.

[Back]