Attorney General Eric Holder criticized the Supreme Court Monday for leaving in place a law shortening the early voting period in Ohio, calling the decision “a major step backward.” The broadside from Mr. Holder, delivered in a video posted on the Justice Department website, comes at a key moment in the political and legal battles surrounding this year’s congressional elections. Under the new schedule, early voting in Ohio for Congress, governor, and state legislators begins Tuesday. The Supreme Court could also soon decide whether voting laws in North Carolina and Wisconsin will go into effect for the election next month. The Justice Department is challenging those laws, as well as voting laws in Texas.
The Supreme Court last week issued a short written order granting Ohio’s request to block a lower judge’s injunction requiring 35 days of early voting plus evening and additional Sunday hours. The justices split 5-4 along ideological lines, with the conservatives siding with Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican.
Due to the court’s order, voting in Ohio will begin Tuesday and last 28 days. The decision also eliminates a several-day window during which residents can register to vote and cast ballots on the same day. Defenders of the actions by the Ohio legislature and Mr. Husted said that even with the changes, the state still has more days of early voting than the national average of 19 days. After the Supreme Court decision, Mr. Husted said it validated his efforts to run early voting uniformly across the state.
Full Article: Holder Faults Supreme Court on Early Voting – WSJ.