Rep. Clyde Opposes Cuts to Early Voting Advocated by SOS Husted

State Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D- Kent) responded to Secretary of State Jon Husted’s suggestion that the legislature again try to make drastic cuts to early voting with the following statement: 

“We will fight this battle as many times as the GOP wants to wage it just like we did last fall all the way to the United States Supreme Court.  Eventually, Secretary Husted and the Tea Party-controlled legislature might get the message that Ohio’s voters like early voting and do not want it to be shortened. 

“Secretary Husted’s proposal would result in only 2 Saturdays of early voting for next year’s gubernatorial election.  The rest of the days, Boards of Elections would be open only for limited business hours with no evening hours and no Sunday voting permitted.  For presidential elections, even fewer Saturday hours would be permitted, only one 4-hour Sunday shift would be permitted, and only 15 evening hours would be permitted.  Yet another set of hours would apply to all other elections with only limited business hours and one 4-hour Saturday shift permitted. 

“This is confusing to voters, unnecessarily restrictive and applies a blind cookie cutter approach to counties with vastly different population sizes and needs.  The only goal appears to be to cut down on voters’ access to the polls in larger counties.”