How to Vote in Ohio 2008

Some Ohio citizens may find it easier to vote this election thanks to recent rulings that blocked two Republican tries at vote suppression. In one case, Republicans challenged same day registration and voting, claiming that a newly-registered voter must wait 30 days (the amount of time between the registration deadline and election day) to apply for an absentee ballot.x80 Yesterday, both the Ohio Supreme Court and a federal judge ruled against the Republicans, and a voter will be able, for one week starting today, to register and submit an absentee ballot at the elections board on the same day.x81 Another case concerned the typical Republican practice of “vote caging”—using a returned piece of mail to challenge and cancel a voter’s registration.x82x83x90 To get such returned mail, Ohio Republicans eyed two sources: the non-forwardable registration notice cards that all county election boards must send, and mortgage foreclosure lists.x84x85 But, earlier this month, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner ruled that county boards could not cancel a registration based solely on a returned card, and that a voter must get due process—a hearing where faced with the evidence against one—before one’s registration could be canceled.x86x88 Ohio Voter Information

• Register by Monday, October 6th: If registering by mail, ...