Election reform in spotlight

COLUMBUS

Democrats are again pounding the pavement statewide looking for people willing to sign their petitions, this time to block Republican-backed election law changes from taking effect in advance of next year’s presidential contest.

I know this because Barack Obama sent me an email telling me so.

Or, to be more accurate, his head campaign guy in Ohio dropped me and, I assume, thousands of others the message with hopes that we’d add our names to their lists.

(I’ll point out here that I don’t sign petitions, so you won’t see my name on those circulated by Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Natural Law Party advocates or any other constituency group that comes to mind.)

Dramatic

The email is pretty dramatic. It reads, “More than 1.7 million of us who voted early in 2008 will have to find a new way to vote in 2012, everyone in Ohio will wait in longer lines, and fewer people will end up casting ballots.”

Or this: “Thanks to the rules in effect (in 2008), voters who worked two jobs, needed to take care of their kids after work, stood in line for hours in 2004, or were still waiting in line to vote when that election was called for President Bush were all able to cast their ballots quickly and conveniently in 2008.”

Strong stuff. Whether it’s an accurate reflection of the potential effects of the recent election law changes is an entirely different matter.

But this is politics, and smart political types know they’ll have to use that kind of rhetoric in order to collect the 230,000-plus signatures needed to place House Bill 194 on the November 2012 ballot.

The legislation, passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature and signed by Gov. John Kasich, shortened Ohio’s early voting period, eliminated the so-called “golden week” during which people could register to vote and cast ballots on the same day and moved next year’s presidential primary to May from March. It also prohibited election boards from sending unsolicited absentee ballot applications to eligible voters.

The bill did not include controversial photo ID provisions, which would have required Ohioans to show government-issued identification cards when voting. House Speaker Bill Batchelder told reporters earlier this summer that he does not expect action on a separate bill covering that issue this session.

Fraud prevention

Proponents say the changes outlined in HB 194 are needed to help prevent fraud and ensure election rules are applied consistently across the state.

But opponents believe the provisions will make it harder for the elderly, poor, minority and, apparently, Democratic voters to participate in Ohio’s elections.

That’s where ProgressOhio, a liberal advocacy group in Columbus, and other voting rights advocates stepped in with their petition effort.

They have until the end of September to collect enough valid signatures to force the referendum onto next year’s general election ballot.

If they’re successful, the law changes will remain on hold until after November 2012.

That may be all Democrats really need to accomplish.

Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. Email him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.