Mark Levine's Inside Scoop

Why Ohio Does NOT Want Everyone to Vote on an Equal Basis [FOX]

August 31, 2012

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6VWiHTnEgc

On FOX News today, Ben Ferguson served up some astonishing bullshit. He actually said on air that Obama wanted to restrict the military vote in Ohio. Except, as he and everyone who has read this case knows, that was never an issue in the case!

Read the opinion the case.

Obama argued that all voters, military and non-military should have equal rights to participate in early voting. Republicans argued that SOME BUT NOT ALL military and overseas voters should be able to participate in early voting the weekend before election day. (Those that live in the (overwhelmingly white) counties would be able to vote. Those that live in heavily African-American Ohio counties would be prohibited from early voting, even if they were in the military.)

If the opinion is too long, just read a couple of articles from non-partisan sources about the case. Read them for yourself to determine who was telling the truth: Court Overturns Early Voting Restrictions in a Win for Democrats(Reuters); Ohio Early Voting Days Must Be Equal for All (Business Week)

In another Ohio case, Republicans argued that if a poll worker makes a mistake causing you to lose your right to vote, that you should lose your right to vote. Democrats argued that you should still be allowed to vote even if poll workers screwed up or intentionally tried to trash your vote. Democrats won. Judge blocks Ohio law that rejected 14,000 ballots in 2008 (LA Times).

Why do you think Republicans are so insistent on preventing their fellow citizens from voting? Ask Doug Preisse, chairman of the county Republican Party and elections board member who voted against weekend hours. As he said it in an email to the Columbus Dispatch.