“A citizen has a constitutionally protected right to participate in elections on an equal basis with other citizens in the jurisdiction.” In Ohio, that right to participate equally has been abridged by Ohio Revised Code ‘ 3509.03 and the Ohio Secretary of State’s further interpretation of that statute with regard to in-person early voting"

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ORIGINAL: Hillwilliam
I work with a couple of RushAid drinkers. Evidently he has been saying that the suit was to limit the voting times of the military and give them less time than civilians. It took a lot of printouts to show them that the only thing the suit was meant to do was change early voting back to what it was last year where everyone was able to vote early until the monday before the election.
People don't understand that the suit was NOT to take away anything from our military people. It was to give everyone an equal right to the polls.

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ORIGINAL: DesideriScuri

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ORIGINAL: Hillwilliam
I work with a couple of RushAid drinkers. Evidently he has been saying that the suit was to limit the voting times of the military and give them less time than civilians. It took a lot of printouts to show them that the only thing the suit was meant to do was change early voting back to what it was last year where everyone was able to vote early until the monday before the election.
People don't understand that the suit was NOT to take away anything from our military people. It was to give everyone an equal right to the polls.

I started a thread on this as soon as I saw my first article claiming the Obama Administration was attempting to limit military voting. When I did my very own poking and prodding, I came out with the truth that the military's "extra" days of voting were being taken away, but only because they were no longer going to be "extra" when all Ohio voters were going to be able to pre-vote on those same days. The military's vote isn't being suppressed by any stretch. It's the non-military in Ohio that are gaining 3 days. The same day I put it out on here, I heard Rush and Glenn Beck talking about it, the same way the initial article claimed.

Depending on the spin, it's true that the military no longer has 3 extra days, but it's not true that they have any less days.

Personally, I don't get early voting. With the ease at which one can get an absentee ballot in Ohio, you'd think that would be the way to go, not open polls earlier. I suppose (and hope) that it's financially less costly to have an early voting period than it is to have to produce the extra absentee ballots. In Ohio, the County is the level that controls the vote. Yes, the State does put out it's fiats, but it's the County level that takes care of it all. In Lucas County (an odd looking County on a map), the early voting booth was going to be put in downtown Toledo. While that, technically, is making early voting available, that Toledo is on the Eastern side of the County makes it easier for Toledoans to vote early, it's not easier for those on the Western side of the County. Add in the racial demographics of the area closest to downtown Toledo (black majority), and a case could be demogogued that it's an attempt to suppress the higher income early voting opportunity. I don't know if there is any major distrust between Hispanics and Blacks that could lead to a suppression of Hispanic early voting (the majority of the Hispanics are in East Toledo, across the Maumee River from downtown Toledo). I don't know why, but the Maumee River is a sort of line Toledo doesn't cross much. Yes, the City and County are in control of those areas, and there is police and fire, but for the average citizen, crossing the river seems to be a sort of mental barrier. Those on the East side don't like having to cross, but the opportunities for shopping, jobs, etc. are far greater on the West side. And, West-siders tend to stay on the West side, too. While it can be explained as a simple case of opportunity, there are questionable events that bring up questions.

In the end, those with lower income tend to get easier opportunity than those with higher income. Most likely because those with lower income tend to have greater transportation issues.

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ORIGINAL: Hillwilliam
The way it was last year, DS, everyone was able to vote until the day before the election (Monday before election day as elections are typically a Tuesday thing).

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The legislature changed that to only military could vote until Monday. Everyone else had to get it done by Friday. The Constitution says that everyone (non felon who is of age) has equal voting rights. This is a pretty clear violation of that.
The suit was to reinstate the previous law where everyone had the same rights.
Nothing was going to be taken away from the military. It was only going to be reinstated for the general population.
My coworkers dragged out Rush's transcripts where he was claiming that those 3 days were being taken away from the military to even it out instead of the way it actually is.
Guess what? Rush and Beck lied.

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As for early voting, I love it. I'm self employed and my days are long and unpredictable. I can't count on being able to get free on that certain day if clients need me. As it is now, I can pick a time when I'm free and pop down to the courthouse.

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ORIGINAL: Hillwilliam
Moving sucks a big one doesnt it? It doesnt matter whether you're across the street or cross country.
Im not sure about Ohio but in TN, if you want an absentee ballot, you have to sign someting saying you'll really be out of town on election day or technically you're committing voter fraud.
If you want to get one online, you have to go thru the vetting process as TN is a state with voter ID laws. Guess what? I didn't pass muster when I went a couple of weeks ago to check it for the hell of it. If I wanted an absentee ballot, Id have to show up at the courthouse in person during government working hours with ID in hand. That kind of defeats the purpose of a self employed person wanting to vote absentee so he doesnt have to shut the office down to go vote.