Obama Campaign Files Lawsuit Against Ohio’s Early Voting For Military Members Statute
President Barack Obama’s campaign filed a federal lawsuit against Ohio, seeking to eliminate the early voting privileges for military service members. The Obama campaign lawsuit is joined by the Democratic National Committee and the Ohio Democratic Party as co-plaintiffs in the election lawsuit, the Marietta Times reports.
The Obama campaign’s lawsuit against Ohio’s elections officials claims the state’s in-person early voting during the final three days of the election is unfair due to the military and overseas voters only component. Attorney’s for President Obama’s re-election campaign maintain Ohio election laws present a “disparate” type of treatment among voters and is therefore unconstitutional, WKSU notes.
The National Guard Association of the Unites States, Association of the U.S. Army, AMVETS and several other military related organizations banded together to fight the lawsuit, asking the judge in the case to dismiss the Obama campaign lawsuit earlier this week.
“Efforts to facilitate and maximize military voting should be welcomed, not viewed with constitutional suspicion,” the military groups opposing the Obama campaign lawsuit noted in a court filing that seeks to intervene in the case, according to the Marietta Times.”
“Former Ohio Gov Ted Strickland: ‘Shameful’ Voter ID Laws Are A Modern Day Poll Tax” bit.ly/QtQvae ID laws are “threat to democracy”
— Ohio Dems (@OHDems) July 31, 2012
The military groups opposing the lawsuit by the Obama campaign and Democratic organizations believe that military service members “need extra time” to cast ballots. The military service and veterans organizations are fearful that a ruling in the case would set a precedent impacting military voters nationwide if the Obama campaign lawsuit proceeds.
Currently there are 32 states which afford voters the ability to cast an early ballot either in-prison or through the mail without requiring an excuse for not appearing on election day. During the 2008 election, approximately 30 percent (1.7 million) of Ohio’s vote total were cast through absentee ballots.
