The League of Women Voters of Ohio is “deeply disturbed” by the possible prosecution of 39 Hamilton County voters. In an open letter sent to election officials, LWVO President Nancy Brown said the citizens involved in 39 cases of possible voter fraud acted in line with Ohio’s election law. The cases addressed in the letter involve voters who voted via provisional ballot after voting early. After reviewing the cases, the Hamilton County Board of Elections voted 2-2 along party lines last month to send the cases to the prosecutor’s office for further review. Later in May Ohio Secretary of State John Husted a Republican, made the tie-breaking decision, siding with the two Republican on the board to send the cases to the prosecutor’s office for further review. “The only ‘wrong’ committed by these voters was requesting an absentee ballot and then casting a provisional ballot at the polls on Election Day,” Brown wrote. “This activity is perfectly legal, and referring these cases to the prosecutor sends a dangerous and chilling message not only to Ohio voters but also to poll workers.”
The Ohio Secretary of State’s office said it is illegal to vote more than once; if there’s any reason for suspicion, it’s worth investigating.
“Even if there is just one case, it’s worth looking into,” said Matt McClellan, Ohio Secretary of State spokesperson. “There’s a process in place and it’s pretty straightforward.”
The league, echoing arguments made by the two Democrats on the board of elections, says in all 39 cases, only one vote was counted. And sending these cases to the prosecutor’s office could make voters afraid to “exercise their legal right to vote.” The league’s Brown also argued that reviewing these cases further is a waste of government resources.
Full Article: Group ‘deeply disturbed’ over possible voter prosecution