Ohio’s Republican Governor John Kasich signed a bill on Tuesday reversing a contentious voting law that Democrats have called a blatant attempt at voter repression, in a move aimed at pre-empting a threatened repeal referendum. The bill rolled back a law passed last year barring counties from mailing unsolicited absentee ballots to voters and removing a requirement that poll workers assist voters they knew were voting in the wrong location. But the measure stopped short of reversing a related measure that eliminated in-person voting on the three days immediately preceding an election, as Democrats want.
Ohio’s Republican leadership has worried that a referendum on the voting law would drive Democratic-leaning voters to the polls in greater numbers in the November election, which they fear could benefit President Barack Obama in a key swing state.
“With the law at the heart of the referendum … having been repealed, there is no longer a question to place before the voters,” Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted said in a statement. Supporters of the original law said its provisions, combined with stricter voter identification laws, reduce the risk of voter fraud. Critics disagree.
Full Article: Ohio Governor signs law to repeal voting law changes – CNBC.