Some rules for Ohio voters are under legal scrutiny as the focus starts shifting toward the fall election. The perennial presidential battleground is no stranger to election-law challenges. Voting disputes in Ohio seem to appear at the rate of political TV ads as Election Day nears. “There are always new issues that arise as the election approaches, especially in Ohio, given that we’re a perpetual swing state,” said Dan Tokaji, an Ohio State University law professor. … A federal judge began hearing testimony Wednesday over changes to requirements for absentee and provisional ballot. Advocates for Ohio’s homeless and the state’s Democratic Party claim the 2014 changes create new hurdles for voters, particularly minorities and Democratic-leaning voters. Among other arguments, they allege that numerous ballots are being tossed because of paperwork errors. They say voters lack an opportunity to cure the problems, in violation of their 14th Amendment rights.
The state says the challenged laws are nondiscriminatory and impose minimal burden on voters. At issue in the updated case are laws that require voters to provide certain identifying information on their absentee ballot envelopes or provisional ballot affirmations, such as their address and date of birth, and the procedures for counting those ballots.
The plaintiffs argue restrictions within the law are equivalent to modern-day literacy tests for voters. However, the state disagrees. “On a purely intuitive level, it is not unreasonable or burdensome to expect voters to provide an address and birthdate when voting,” attorney Zachery Keller wrote in a court filing.
Full Article: Ohio’s election laws under scrutiny as focus shifts to fall.