In a party-line vote, the Ohio Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to shorten early voting to eliminate the so-called “Golden Week” that allowed people to both register to vote and cast early in-person absentee ballots at the same time.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Frank LaRose, a Republican from Copley Township, would shorten the early voting period by six days.
The current law allows people to cast absentee ballots beginning 35 days before Election Day. Under the new law, that voting couldn’t begin until the day after voter registration closes — which by law happens 30 days before the election.
The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 20-13. The 20 yes votes all came from Republicans. The no votes all came from Democrats. The bill now moves to the House.
Elections directors from Ohio’s counties sought the change, LaRose said, because verifying the validity of new registrations during Golden Week was problematic since those voters then could cast early ballots.
“I choose not to second guess what the election administrators are telling us,” LaRose said during a hearing on the bill. “I think this is a modest reduction in early voting days that will allow us to give the election administrators something they want.”
And Ohio will still be a leader in early voting, he said. Under the new law, he said, Ohio would still allow more days for early voting among the 30 most populous states in the nation and remain in the top 10 overall.
But Democrats objected loudly in the floor debate, arguing access to the polls should be kept as open as possible.
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