Ohio Democrats State Logo

Ohio Democratic

County Chairs Association

Ohio Democrats Party ODP Logo

Main Navigation

Menu

  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • County Chairs
    • County Chairs of the Year – 2020
    • ODCCA Officers
      • Message from President Janet Carson
    • ODCCA Executive Committee, Regional Liaisons & Committees
    • ODCCA Constitution and Bylaws
    • How Ohio’s 88 counties got their names
    • WHY We Are Democrats!
    • Ohio Democratic Party (ODP)
      • History: Ohio Democratic Party
    • Democratic National Committee (DNC)
      • DNC Chair Jaime Harrison
      • DNC Officers
      • The 2020 Democratic Platform
  • Team
    • President Joe Biden & Vice President Kamala Harris
      • Nominees and Appointees
    • Senator Sherrod Brown
    • U.S. House of Representatives
      • Congresswoman Joyce Beatty
      • Congresswoman Marcia Fudge
      • Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur
      • Congressman Tim Ryan
    • Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
      • Ohio Supreme Court Justice Michael P. Donnelly
      • Ohio Supreme Court Justice Melody J. Stewart
      • Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner
    • State Senate Minority Leadership – 134th General Assembly
    • State House Minority Leadership – 134th General Assembly
    • Former President Barack Obama
  • Candidates
    • Interested in being a candidate?
      • Main Street Initiative – 2021
      • Candidate Information: Guides, Forms, Links
    • Are You Ready To VOTE?
  • Issues
  • News
  • Events
    • ODCCA
      • ODCCA Meetings & ODP Co-Hosted Events
      • ODCCA & ODP County Chairs Weekly Conference Calls
    • Local County Parties
    • ODP
      • County Chairs Conference Calls
    • DNC
      • 2020 Democratic National Convention – 8.17-20.2020
    • Are you ready to vote in 2021?
  • Contact Us
  • Links
  • Members Only

Husted Misleads Ohio Voters on Voting Rights

June 3, 2014

Husted dodges responsibility for his policies in campaign year 

Yesterday, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted released a press release claiming that recent changes to Ohio voting laws makes Ohio “one of the easiest places to vote in the nation.”  In reality, each of the bills cited by Husted actually make voting harder in Ohio.  In response, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern issued the following statement:

“After supporting cutting a week from early voting and unilaterally ending evening and Sunday early voting, Jon Husted now claims that these policies are making it ‘easier to vote’ in Ohio.  As a result of many of these changes, Ohio’s turnout in the primary was below 17%, the lowest on record with the Secretary of State’s office.  Husted’s claim that voting is easier is completely out of touch with reality.”

BACKGROUND:

Turnout in the May primary was the lowest it has been Ohio since at least 1986.  According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office turnout in this May’s primary was under 17%.  [Source: Ohio Secretary of State’s website (accessed 5/27/2014), “Unofficial 2014 May Primary Election Results.”]

According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, the unofficial turnout in the 2014 May primary would be the lowest turnout in a gubernatorial primary since 1986, which is the last year the Secretary of State’s office reports primary turnout figures.  [Source: Ohio Secretary of State’s website (accessed 5/27/2014), “Voter Turnout in Primary Elections.”]

The legislature eliminated a week of early voting at Jon Husted’s urging.  The Republican legislature reduced early voting by a week by eliminating the “Golden Week”after receiving a public letter from Secretary of State Jon Husted urging them to do so.  [Source: Columbus Dispatch(10/25/2013), “Husted asks legislators to trim early voting.”]

Not satisfied with the early voting cuts made by the legislature, Husted then unilaterally issued a directive that reduced early voting hours by eliminating most evening and weekend hours.  On February 25, 2014, Jon Husted issued Directive 2014-06, (included the ACLU’s lawsuit against Secretary of Husted), in which Husted unilaterally ended Sunday early voting the final two weeks before the election, most evening and weekend early voting hours in Ohio. In a press release from his office, Husted said he decided to take unilateral action because the legislature “has neither . . . introduced nor adopted” these reduced early voting hours he had advocated.  [Source: Ohio Secretary Of State’s Office Press Release (2/25/2014).]

(NOTE:  Husted’s release this morning did not mention this directive at all.)

Husted’s repeated claim that he sends all Ohio voters an absentee ballot is misleading, at best.  While Husted mentions that he is mailing absentee ballots in the general election as his office agreed to do in 2011 in a settlement with Ed FitzGerald he fails to mention that S.B. 205, will prevent the Secretary of State’s Office from doing so in the future unless the General Assembly specifically appropriates money to allow the Secretary to do so.  Also, Husted’s plan will not actually send an absentee ballot application to every registered voter.  Husted will not be sending these forms to anyone who registers to vote the first six days of October nor any voter who has been flagged as “inactive” because they have not yet responded to a postcard from their County Board of Elections seeking a confirmation of their residency and did not vote in the 2010 or 2012 general election.  [Source: Secretary of State Directive 2014-15.]

In 2010, Jon Husted campaigned as a Republican with “Tea Party values.”  During the 2010 Republican primary, Jon Husted’s campaign literature promoted him as a candidate with “Tea Party values.” [Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer (4/18/2010), “Husted’s appeal to Tea Party draws loud rebuff.”]

Blog Sidebar

Search the Site

Categories

  • Events
    • DNC
    • Local County Parties
    • ODCCA
    • ODP
  • Issues
    • Federal
    • State
  • News
  • Photo Galleries
  • Uncategorized

Recent Posts

  • Special health care enrollment period through ACA
  • Redistricting Ohio – 2021
  • Keep informed about gerrymandering during 2021
  • What issues may be on the ballot? Who determines what issue is on ballot?
  • ODCCA Events

Archives

  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • March 2013

Trending

absentee ballots Budget Campaign Finance Charter school College Affordability congressional redistricting DNC early voting Economy education Elections Equal Pay Events Fact Check FBI Fraud Governor Governor 2018 heroin Higher Education jobs local government funding Medicaid Expansion Mental Health military ODCCA ODP Ohio AFL-CIO Right To Work SB5 School funding State Auditor State Treasurer taxes unemployment Unions Veterans Voter Protection Voter Registration Voters Rights voter suppression voting rights women's caucus Women's Issues workers

Contribute to ODCCA

Donate Now

Your contributions
DO make a difference!

When you contribute,
you make a difference in Ohio!
Thank You!

Donate Now

Recent News

  • Special health care enrollment period through ACA
  • Redistricting Ohio – 2021
  • Ohio Democratic Party Executive Committee elects chair
  • Georgia turns BLUE!
  • Want to help flip Georgia BLUE? Here are a few ideas!
  • First Presidential Debate to be held in Cleveland! Tuesday, 9.29.2020
  • BidenHarris2020 – We are 1 Team!
  •  
  • View all news

Current Issues

  • Keep informed about gerrymandering during 2021
  • What issues may be on the ballot? Who determines what issue is on ballot?
  • United States Census 2020
  •  
  • View all issues

Pages

  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • Team
  • Candidates
  • Issues
  • News
  • Events
  • Contact Us
  • Links
  • Members Only
Donate Now

© 2014 Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association, All Rights Reserved

Paid for and authorized by the Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association, Amy F. Grubbe/Treasurer, 2810 Hull Road #6, Huron 44839.

Not authorized by any Federal, state or county candidate or campaign committee.