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Federal Appeals Court Stays Lower Order Allowing Group More Time to Collect Petition Signatures
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — A federal appeals court has dealt a blow to a group that’s trying to put changes to voting laws on this fall’s ballot. A federal court stayed a lower court ruling that gave the group more time and allowed for electronic signatures.
The court’s order means the group will have to collect more than 400,000 valid petition signatures, in person, by the first of July. Toni Webb, campaign manager for Ohioans for Secure and Fair Elections, says it would be virtually impossible to do that.
“The campaign and its lawyers are reading the opinion more thoroughly now and figuring out our next step,” Webb says.
Webb says other states have made it easier for groups like hers to collect petition signatures in this COVID19 environment. Last week, a lower court ruled this group and others could collect signatures electronically and extended the deadline to July 31.