On Friday, US District Judge Peter Economus ordered the State of Ohio to restore early voting until the Monday November 5. This will give Ohioans the weekend prior to the election to vote in-person at Board of Election offices and other designated locations. Democrats claim nearly 93,000 additional Ohioans voted because of this provision in 2008. Yet, the statistics the judge in part relied on did not actually present any numbers regarding the 3-day post-election period. The statistics only covered both the total 35 day and the 7-day pre- election period of early voting. (Source: Wall Steet Journal blog.)
In the past, there presumably was no uniform state law concerning the early voting period. Since 2008, the Republican-led executive branch under the leadership of John Husted implemented uniform policies for all local board of election offices. A 35-day period was set to begin on Monday and continue to the Friday before the election except those who are stationed overseas. They are allowed to submit their ballot until the Monday before period.
Although I agree with the Democrats that voting on the weekend (Saturday) would make it easier for many to vote, the State is already making it easier for all Ohioans to vote. Ohio law allows workers to vote during business hours without being penalized by employers. The State will be mailing all Ohioans information about how to register and vote by absentee ballot, not to mention in-person early voting already been scheduled for the voting public. The Secretary of State also is also responsible for implementing a multifaceted voter registration initiative.
Liberal leaning organizations like the Children’s Defense Fund are cheerleading Obama’s judicial campaign for weekend voting. They call Husted’s rather egalitarian voting policies suppression of poor people’s voting rights. Like the inconclusive U.S. General Accounting Office study, a 93,000 additional voter turnout in 2008 does not seem very effective especially when considering the state’s new efforts to enable every voter in the state to vote on or before election day.
One proposal to decrease the burden of the poor voter is prepaid mail-in ballots. To my knowledge, the proposal has not been implemented. Seeing Obama is providing those on public assistance as well as the working poor with cell phones, maybe he and his liberal associates would like to use taxpayer money to supplies federal postage stamps. That just might get him and other liberal Democrats a few more votes.
Liberal efforts to get more of the poor to vote also raises concern of voter fraud. The Voter Participation Center (VPC) has been sending out registration cards to pets, deceased voters, and other non-voters. The organization’s leadership includes previous leaders of the infamous ACORN, which was defunded by the federal government in 2008 because of similar voting fraud. The Judicial Watch reports the founder is one of the Democrats top political strategist with roots in the AFL-CIO and SIEU unions. It current director was Other ranking members of the Democratic Party and Pres. Clinton’s staff are involved in the organization as well. Bogus voter registration cards have been reported in Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Missouri, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The problem is the VPC is mailing voter registration cards that are already filled-out to the deceased, children, those already registered, noncitizens, felons and even pets across the nation. Ohio is not being left out of the Democrat-led efforts to get out the vote.
Besides continuing to fight Obama's weekend voting lawsuit, Attorney General Mike Dewine should look into The Voter Participation Center's work in Ohio.