State, federal courts uphold early voting in Ohio (a defeat for Republican challenges)


Source: AP

COLUMBUS, Ohio - In a defeat for Republican challenges, state and federal courts have cleared the way for a weeklong period in which new voters can register and cast an absentee ballot on the same day in Ohio.

The early voting begins Tuesday and runs through Oct. 6.

The Ohio Supreme Court and a federal judge in Cleveland on Monday upheld the weeklong voting period. Later in the day, U.S. District Court Judge George Smith in Columbus declined to rule, deferring to the state Supreme Court decision.

But Smith ruled that counties must allow party poll observers during early voting.

The decisions were a victory for Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat. Republicans had accused her of interpreting state law to benefit her own party.