Ohio Early Voting Will No Longer Take Place On Sundays, Weekday Evenings

[emperus]

Ohio voters will no longer be able to take part in early voting on Sundays or weekday nights, according to hours set by Secretary of State Jon Husted.
The AP reports voters will only get two Saturdays to cast early, in-person ballots during the statewide election this fall.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/25/ohio-early-voting_n_4855834.html

Is there a legitimate counter-argument to this or does it just seem that the Republicans are trying the rig the rules?

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I don't get it why make it harder to vote, we should be trying our best to get as close to 100% participation as possible. Also why do we cling to voting on one day only, why not have voting over several days and not report polling numbers?

 

[bradly1101]

Voting needs to catch up to the digital age. Imagine the fight Republicans would put up if online voting was allowed.

 

[Thebobo]

I don't get it why make it harder to vote,

- Republicans-

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Well I am not ready for digital voting yet....votes need to have some kind of paper trail also think of all the conspiracy folks going ape over electronic vote counting. They would also need to be anonymous, not tied to an IP address or something.

 

[thraashman]

I don't get it why make it harder to vote, we should be trying our best to get as close to 100% participation as possible. Also why do we cling to voting on one day only, why not have voting over several days and not report polling numbers?

There are certain groups that have a vested interest in making it more difficult to vote. Instead of changing their position to appeal to more people, they'd rather change the rules to rig things in their favor. It's disgusting and the people who do this and those who support the people who do this are the most un-American pieces of excrement in this country.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Voting needs to catch up to the digital age. Imagine the fight Republicans would put up if online voting was allowed.

I would be all for online voting provided that the voter had to prove who they were using 3 randomly chosen finger prints. All voters would be required to register and provide finger prints (all fingers and thumbs) for this this purpose.

 

[thraashman]

I would be all for online voting provided that the voter had to prove who they were using 3 randomly chosen finger prints. All voters would be required to register and provide finger prints (all fingers and thumbs) for this this purpose.

Something like this would absolutely never happen. There's no way you would be able to convince a huge amount of the populace to submit to finger print scanning. I personally have had to submit to both state and federal finger printing for jobs, so I'm already in the system.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Something like this would absolutely never happen. There's no way you would be able to convince a huge amount of the populace to submit to finger print scanning. I personally have had to submit to both state and federal finger printing for jobs, so I'm already in the system.

Same here, been finger printed several times (Navy/Top Secret security clearance, Nuclear security clearance, and TWIC Card)

TWIC = Transportation Workers Identification Credentials (Required to work in any refinery/plant with sea port facilities)

 

[emperus]

I don't get it why make it harder to vote, we should be trying our best to get as close to 100% participation as possible. Also why do we cling to voting on one day only, why not have voting over several days and not report polling numbers?

That's why I don't understand this decision and trying to see a point I'm missing. Why not Sundays. Seems like the perfect time to vote. How do they even justify it to their own base?

 

[brycejones]

That's why I don't understand this decision and trying to see a point I'm missing. Why not Sundays. Seems like the perfect time to vote. How do they even justify it to their own base?

They don't like Sundays because its a great get out the vote opportunity for groups to get inner city church goers to the polls.

The times that early voting won't happen are specifically chosen for political advantage and to make it harder for the groups of voters who typically vote for the other party (Democrats) to take advantage of early voting.

Its really pretty disgusting and un-American when you get right down to it.

Can't wait for some of our wing nut friends to show up and try to explain how this is helpful to a functioning democracy.

 

[theeedude]

Republicans getting desperate and trying to suppress the vote, because they know we the people are done with them.

 

[Thebobo]

That's why I don't understand this decision and trying to see a point I'm missing. Why not Sundays. Seems like the perfect time to vote. How do they even justify it to their own base?

They don't have to. The base knows its to keep for people from voting, they think it will benefit themselves, the republicans. Its a farce I cant believe this hasn't been taken up by more courts.

Its like an old boss I had, he has so happy he finally got a program to pick winning lotto numbers. Well maybe not like that but everyone knows even the republicans know its full of shit. But they spew the same tripe thinking folks believe there is a huge voter fraud problem.

Wackos

 

[Fern]

IDK why they cut the hours/days, but not sure it's any hardship. See this:

“In 2014, absentee voters will have the option of voting in person for four weeks, or they can vote without ever leaving home by completing the absentee ballot request form we will be sending all voters,” Husted said. “Our goal is to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat and to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity in the voting process no matter which method they choose.”

They're sending absentee ballots to ALL voters?

Not sure how that makes it hard to cheat.

Fern

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Husted's directive reflects a proposal from the bipartisan Ohio Association of Election Officials....yet OP spins it as those damn Republicans trying to rig the rules. lol

COLUMBUS — Ohio voters will get two Saturdays but no Sundays or evenings to cast early, in-person ballots during the statewide election this fall under a schedule set today by the state’s elections chief.

Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, said his directive for voting times reflects a proposal from the bipartisan Ohio Association of Election Officials. He has pressed state lawmakers for the past three years to put the hours and days for early voting into law, but the GOP-controlled Legislature has not adopted any plan.

“I have watched as numerous election laws have passed the General Assembly and yet the bipartisan plan I have advocated for has neither been introduced nor adopted,” Husted said in a statement.

Lacking legislation, Husted said he used the blueprint hours from the Republicans and Democrats who run local elections in Ohio’s 88 counties.

http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2014/02/25/Ohio-elections-chief-sets-2014-voting-hours-days.html

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I predict all of these church groups will simply have family days with a quick sermon on those two Saturdays then off to the voting booths. This entire plan has fail written all over it.

 

[PokerGuy]

That's why I don't understand this decision and trying to see a point I'm missing. Why not Sundays. Seems like the perfect time to vote. How do they even justify it to their own base?

You do realize that in order to have people vote, you have to actually staff all these polling stations right? Polling stations mostly staffed by volunteers, and you also need support staff for the voting machines and all that jazz at the ready. There's a cost to doing all this stuff, and I haven't seen anyone show any particular reason why we need to spend additional time and resources on this.

 

[boomerang]

Husted's directive reflects a proposal from the bipartisan Ohio Association of Election Officials....yet OP spins it as those damn Republicans trying to rig the rules. lol

http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2014/02/25/Ohio-elections-chief-sets-2014-voting-hours-days.html

Looks like we can wrap this one up unless our "friends across the aisle"* have any more rage they need to express.

*To Republicans, Democrats are their friends across the aisle. Democrats consider Republicans to be the "enemy".

 

[boomerang]

You do realize that in order to have people vote, you have to actually staff all these polling stations right? Polling stations mostly staffed by volunteers, and you also need support staff for the voting machines and all that jazz at the ready. There's a cost to doing all this stuff, and I haven't seen anyone show any particular reason why we need to spend additional time and resources on this.

Exactly right. For seemingly ever, the polls were open one day and absentee ballots had a lot of rules associated with them.

If you can't make it to the polls in Ohio, you can mail in the absentee ballot mailed to every household. Everybody has an opportunity to vote.

 

[emperus]

Husted's directive reflects a proposal from the bipartisan Ohio Association of Election Officials....yet OP spins it as those damn Republicans trying to rig the rules. lol



http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2014/02/25/Ohio-elections-chief-sets-2014-voting-hours-days.html

When did I spin it as Republicans trying to rig the rules? I asked a question if there was a legitimate reason I'm missing.

The proposal does seem curious especially if it was adopted by a bipartisan group.

 

[emperus]

Exactly right. For seemingly ever, the polls were open one day and absentee ballots had a lot of rules associated with them.

If you can't make it to the polls in Ohio, you can mail in the absentee ballot mailed to every household. Everybody has an opportunity to vote.

So, why not do both?

It just seems fishy. Especially when you are talking about errors associated with filling out forms and mailing them in.

And why cut voting ours at night? Who can get out to vote during the day but certain segments of the population. I would love to see whatever study they used to pick these hours.

 

[boomerang]

So, why not do both?

It just seems fishy. Especially when you are talking about errors associated with filling out forms and mailing them in.

And why cut voting ours at night? Who can get out to vote during the day but certain segments of the population. I would love to see whatever study they used to pick these hours.

Huh? Do both what? You can vote in person or by mail in an absentee ballot. You can mail that ballot any time of the day or night. The ballots are dumbed down to where a very high percentage of the population can fill them out accurately. There are people that mess up both in-person ballots and absentee ballots. It's a process that is made as fool-proof as is possible. But we have fools that live in our nation.

The actual voting doesn't determine the outcome of an election anyway. It's the counting of the votes.

 

[emperus]

Here goes the actual reforms that were recommended.
http://www.oaeo.us/report-and-recommendations-for-absentee-voting-reform/

It reads like someone wanted to close the polls on Sundays and so they compromised to close it at 4pm on Sundays for Presidential elections and not open it all on Sundays during non-presidential elections. I'm still at a loss why the would close at all the Sunday or even the day before the election seeing elections fall on Tue I believe. How much more of a cost can that be? Isn't voting the fundamental exercise of our freedom?

 

[emperus]

Huh? Do both what? You can vote in person or by mail in an absentee ballot. You can mail that ballot any time of the day or night. The ballots are dumbed down to where a very high percentage of the population can fill them out accurately. There are people that mess up both in-person ballots and absentee ballots. It's a process that is made as fool-proof as is possible. But we have fools that live in our nation.

The actual voting doesn't determine the outcome of an election anyway. It's the counting of the votes.

Why don't we both allow both the extended mailing of the votes and the extended opening of the polls. Isn't the goal to get the highest participation rate possible?

It's both. I think mailing of votes would present more problems counting them then actual in person tabulation. I think that is where the majority of fraud can happen.

What further bothers me is that for the last few years, we hear a lot about voter id laws. How do absentee ballots make the system more safer than in poll voting?

 

[brycejones]

What further bothers me is that for the last few years, we hear a lot about voter id laws. How do absentee ballots make the system more safer than in poll voting?

They don't ironically enough the push has been to increase requirements for in-person voting where fraud has been practically non-existent while making absentee voting easier which does have a higher incidence of fraud.