Ohio Democrats greeted a GOP proposal to eliminate an early voting period with a barrage of skeptical questions Dec. 2, previewing a contentious standoff in this legislature’s final month.

Democrats are trying to block what they view as poorly conceived legislation fueled by GOP emotions over elections disputes in the months before the Nov. 4 presidential contest. Republicans say they have a narrowly tailored proposal that addresses the concerns of Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner — and they only have one month remaining in which they control both the House and the Senate.

The bill would eliminate a weeklong period during which Ohio voters can register and cast a ballot on the same day. About 13,000 Ohioans cast a ballot during the period from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, while Republicans unsuccessfully challenged the procedure in court. They said Ohio law never intended there to be same-day registration and voting, and that it could open the door to voter fraud because elections officials wouldn’t have time to verify voter information.

The proposed policy would require voters wishing to vote early to be registered at least 30 days before they cast a ballot. For example, someone wanting to vote 30 days before the election would have to be registered 60 days before Election Day.

The bill would also allow observers at polling places during early voting, stipulate what voters must fill out on the envelope that covers an absentee ballot, and require the secretary of state to provide to local elections officials the names of voters whose registration information doesn’t match data in other government databases.

Three of the bill’s components are responses to lawsuits the GOP waged against Brunner in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

“This is not a bill that makes drastic or sweeping changes to Ohio elections law,” state Sen. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, told the Senate State & Local Government & Veterans Affairs Committee Tuesday. Seitz said Brunner had micromanaged the election by issuing more than 100 directives to local elections boards, and had struck “mortal fear” in elections board officials by removing those who disagreed with her.

Democrats came to Brunner’s defense, attempting to ask questions about whether Seitz had tried to work with the secretary of state on the bill. They also asked how someone moving from one county to another would be affected by the registration deadline, and whether the GOP had any documented cases of voter fraud.

State Sen. Teresa Fedor, a Toledo Democrat, was repeatedly admonished by committee Chairman Sen. Gary Cates to only ask questions about the substance of the bill.

“They were trying to muzzle me,” Fedor said. “Republicans never communicated with the secretary of state — the agency that’s supposed to administer elections — and it’s very important that we work together to address these issues.”

Fedor said Democrats primarily opposed trying to ram through the legislation during a lame-duck session when many lawmakers are serving out their final month after being term-limited or voted out of office on Nov. 4.

“It’s really the process they are trying to circumvent and that always leads to poor public policy,” she said.

If the GOP is united in support of the elections legislation, Democrats don’t have the numbers to stop the bill in December. Gov. Ted Strickland has said he opposes elections changes during the lame-duck session, but hasn’t said whether he’d veto the bill — which the GOP couldn’t overcome.

Seitz and Brunner both said they are open to eliminating the weeklong period by having early voting start less than 30 days before Election Day, instead of the 35 days in current law.

Just a few miles from the Statehouse, Brunner held an elections summit Tuesday where possible election reforms were discussed. She and Democrats want the summit to be the basis for any changes.

“We have over 200 people from across the country who have a fresh perspective on how to elevate Ohio’s elections system to the next level,” said Brunner spokesman Kevin Kidder. “That is where our focus lies.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 at 7:47 am and is filed under Community, Politics.
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