Federal Court Rules Ohio Voting Cutbacks Are Unconstitutional

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Ohio’s cutbacks to early voting are unconstitutional and violate the Voting Rights Act because they give African-Americans “less opportunity to participate in the political process compared to other voters” in past elections.

In 2014, Ohio’s Republican-controlled legislature eliminated in-person early voting on the weekends and during weekdays after 5pm. It also passed a law that ended “Golden Week,” a period of time in which Ohioans could both register and vote on the same day. Golden Week was created in 2005 as a response to the hours-long lines of the 2004 presidential election, when tens of thousands of would-be voters left their polling places in frustration without casting their ballots.