Current:Home > StocksDisputes over access to the vote intensify as Ohioans begin to cast ballots-LoTradeCoin
Disputes over access to the vote intensify as Ohioans begin to cast ballots
View Date:2024-12-23 20:51:35
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Several disputes over voter rights in Ohio were unresolved Tuesday as the state began accepting early ballots in this fall’s election for president, a key U.S. Senate race and a redistricting measure.
Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose had not yet responded to Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, which notified him last week that voters were being systematically removed from the rolls in several counties as a result of third-party challenges. The advocacy groups alleged the actions violate provisions of the National Voting Registration Act.
LaRose’s office said he had cast a tie vote keeping most of the challenged voters in one of the counties, Delaware, on the rolls. He is reviewing claims in three additional counties.
National groups allied with former President Donald Trump have been facilitating these citizen-powered efforts to systematically challenge the legitimacy of large numbers of voter registrations. LaRose praised their efforts and believes accurate voter rolls are a core tenet of any well-run election, said spokesman Dan Lusheck.
“Ohio runs some of the most transparent elections in the nation, and we are proud of that,” Lusheck said.
Meanwhile, minority Democrats at the Ohio Statehouse carried on questioning LaRose’s removal of 155,000 voter registration records in August. He has said the legally required actions targeted registration records of inactive, noncitizen, deceased or otherwise ineligible voters.
On Monday, state Rep. Elliot Forhan, a Cleveland-area Democrat, filed a formal challenge asking the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections to restore 741 voters in the county — a Democratic stronghold potentially pivotal in U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s tight reelection bid against Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno.
State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, another Democrat from the Cleveland area, sent a letter to LaRose on Tuesday reiterating her earlier request for additional records involving the office’s removal processes. Her office uncovered more than 1,000 wrongfully removed voters in Cuyahoga County alone with the help of previously released records, she said, and requested a third-party audit.
“If Frank LaRose isn’t going to ensure all eligible voters have the right to vote in Ohio, the least he can do is give me the public records, so I can do it for him,” Sweeney said in a statement.
LaRose’s office had no immediate comment.
Also yet to be resolved is the Ohio Democratic Party’s September lawsuit challenging a LaRose directive that prevents people who are helping voters with disabilities drop off their ballots from using drop boxes.
The secretary issued his order after a federal judge struck down portions of Ohio’s sweeping 2023 election law in July, allowing more classes of people to help voters with disabilities deliver their ballots. It affirmed the helpers could do so, but added requirements that they drop the ballots inside board of elections offices and sign a form vouching for their identities.
LaRose called the move a precaution against ballot harvesting. Democrats said that it is illegal.
Three of the Ohio Supreme Court’s seven justices — two Democrats and a Republican, all seeking office this fall — have recused themselves in the case. A fourth was asked to, but refused.
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Today’s news: Follow live updates from the campaign trail from the AP.
- Ground Game: Sign up for AP’s weekly politics newsletter to get it in your inbox every Monday.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
The Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party said Tuesday they have moved to intervene in the case.
“Secretary LaRose has taken critical steps to safeguard Ohio’s elections, but once again Democrats are trying to dismantle commonsense protections that make it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” national committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. “This is yet another poorly veiled attempt to eliminate ballot safeguards and interfere right before the election — and we will stop them.”
veryGood! (945)
Related
- What happens to Donald Trump’s criminal conviction? Here are a few ways it could go
- Top 3 candidates to replace Gregg Berhalter as US coach after firing
- Copa America 2024: Everything you need to know about the Argentina vs. Colombia final
- Gen Z is trading degrees for tool belts. Trade school benefits outweigh college costs.
- NBPA reaches Kyle Singler’s family after cryptic Instagram video draws concern
- Sale of US Steel kicks up a political storm, but Pittsburgh isn’t Steeltown USA anymore
- How to help victims of Hurricane Beryl − and avoid getting scammed
- Travis Kelce Reveals Eye-Popping Price of Taylor Swift Super Bowl Suite
- Caitlin Clark's gold Nike golf shoes turn heads at The Annika LPGA pro-am
- In the South, Sea Level Rise Accelerates at Some of the Most Extreme Rates on Earth
Ranking
- Dogecoin soars after Trump's Elon Musk announcement: What to know about the cryptocurrency
- West Virginia police chief responsible for hiring of officer who killed Tamir Rice steps down
- Michael Douglas Reveals Catherine Zeta-Jones Makes Him Whip It Out in TMI Confession
- Biden administration goes bigger on funding apprenticeships, hoping to draw contrast with GOP
- After years of unrest, Commanders have reinvented their culture and shattered expectations
- Brittany Mahomes Gives Patrick Mahomes a Hair Makeover
- Chase Daniel, ex-NFL QB: Joe Burrow angered every player with 18-game schedule remark
- Taylor Swift consistently pauses her European concerts for this reason
Recommendation
-
Judith Jamison, acclaimed Alvin Ailey American dancer and director, dead at 81
-
'Kind of can't go wrong': USA Basketball's Olympic depth on display in win
-
Benji Gregory, 'Alf' child star of the '80s, dies at 46
-
Sequel to Kevin Costner-led 'Horizon: An American Saga' has been canceled: Reports
-
Song Jae-lim, Moon Embracing the Sun Actor, Dead at 39
-
Convert to a Roth IRA or not? It's an important retirement question facing Gen X.
-
Louisiana lawmakers work to address ‘silent danger’ of thousands of dead and beetle-infested trees
-
Hawaii governor wants more legal advice before filling Senate vacancy