Thursday, February 18, 2016

Ohio Gov. Kasich Denies Cutting Voting Access Was Partisan


Ohio Gov. John Kasich denied he acted out of partisanship when he signed a bill on February 21, 2014, that reduced access to voting in the crucial swing state.

Kasich, who is seeking the Republican Presidential nomination, said he backed the controversial 2014 bill, which eliminated the week in which Ohioans could register and vote on the same day, because local election officials supported it as a way to simplify the voting process. “Whenever people who run this voting system, Ohio Association of Election Officials, say we need to have more order, that’s fine,” said Kasich, who has sought to portray himself as a more inclusive type of Republican. “Then I have to listen to them.”

On party lines, the House voted 59-37 to approve a GOP bill that would cut six days from the state’s early voting period. More importantly, it would end the so-called “Golden Week,” when Ohioans can register and vote on the same day. Same-day registration is among the most effective ways for bringing new voters into the process, election experts say.

The House also voted by 60-38 to approve a bill that would effectively end the state’s successful program of mailing absentee ballots to all registered voters. Under the bill, the Secretary of State would need approval from lawmakers to mail absentee ballots, and individual counties could not do so at all. Nearly 1.3 million Ohioans voted absentee in 2012. The bill also would make it easier to reject absentee ballots for missing information.

Republicans also passed a bill that reduces the number of voting machines that counties must have on hand for elections, and that makes it easier to remove voters from the rolls.

Wonder what he would do today if these type of bills hit his desk.











NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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