On the evening of January 6, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland vetoed SB 380, an election law bill passed by the outgoing legislature. It dealt with early voting procedures, and procedures for reconciling discrepancies in the voter registration database and other government databases (voter registration and Social Security records). Strickland said the issues are too complicated to have been dealt with in a bill that was rushed into passage before the old legislature adjourned.
As many readers already know, Ohio has no valid ballot access law for new political parties. The outgoing session of the Ohio legislature took the trouble to pass a bill dealing with voter registration, and yet not one state legislator introduced a bill on the gap in the state’s ballot access laws.
Hey, I’m not complaining. Right now ballot access for minor parties is dead easy in Ohio.
I have a feeling that they will make the laws very harsh again once they notice the oversight.
Not so fast. THere is a draft bill ready to go and it is very reasonable for Ohio ballot access. Hard part is finding sponsors and getting it passed. Many disinfranchised voters that can’t vote or won’t vote because many times only TWO choices (or ONE) on the ballot– no alternative choice.