President Obama's reelection campaign, the Democratic National Committee and the Ohio Democratic Party have filed suit in federal court against the state of Ohio to restore early voting.
"Rather than protecting the right to vote, we've seen brazen attempts to undermine it," DNC political director Patrick Gaspard told reporters. "It's a cynical ploy."
Republicans and Democrats in Ohio have been tussling over voting rights rules for most of the last year. Most recently, the legislature ended early voting in the three days before the election — but kept it in place for military voters.
In Obama for America v. Husted, the complaint alleges that distinction between military and nonmilitary voters violates the equal protection clause of the federal constitution.
Ohio was ground zero in 2004 for charges of malfeasance and irregularities and is expected to once again be a razor thin contest. Early voting is generally recognized to benefit Democrats — but the Democrats insists that politics is not at the heart of their complaint.
"It's a chilling notion that we should be opposed to those voting in the final three days because they may or may not vote on our side of the issues," Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern told reporters.
via Politico
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