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Judge to Hear Dispute Over Recent Ohio Election Law Changes
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A federal judge is set to hear a dispute over Ohio’s voting laws a day after the swing state’s presidential primary election.
At issue in the case in Columbus court on Wednesday are several changes to requirements for absentee or provisional ballots.
Advocates for Ohio’s homeless and the state’s Democratic Party claim Ohio has created new hurdles for minority voters. Among other arguments, they allege that numerous ballots are being thrown out because of paperwork errors. They say voters lack an opportunity to cure the problems, in violation of their 14th Amendment rights.
The state says the challenged laws are reasonable, nondiscriminatory and impose little burden on voters.
The lawsuit dates to a 2006 challenge of a law that specified when provisional ballots could be counted toward vote totals.