A federal court judge on Wednesday denied a request to stay his order restoring early voting cuts and allowing county boards of election to set additional hours while the state makes its appeal. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Jon Husted are appealing the decision to the U.S. 6th District Court of Appeals and on Tuesday requested a stay to avoid confusion among county boards of election. “Changing election rules so far into the election cycle disrupts the electoral process and threatens its fairness,” DeWine and Husted argued in their request. “Any requirement that Secretary Husted issue a directive to county Boards of Elections, only to potentially issue a contravening order in a few weeks, would cause particular harm. Changing the days and hours now, only to have them potentially changed again in a few weeks, will create needless confusion that can be simply avoided by a stay of this Court’s Order pending appeal.” U.S. District Court Judge Peter C. Economus wrote Wednesday that a stay would only further “flip-flopping” of the early voting schedule, creating further confusion among voters. Economus said many Ohio voters and voter advocates have begun preparing for an earlier start to the early-voting period. “Defendants’ arguments ignore the fact that many members of the public are already aware of the Order, which received some attention in the media, and that, according to Plaintiffs, voter advocates are already preparing for the reinstituted early voting opportunities,” Economus wrote in his denial. Full Article: Early voting order stands while appeal proceeds | cleveland.com.
The Voting News
A News Service of the Verified Voting Foundation
