Friday, September 16, 2011
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
The Ohio House OK’d legislation Thursday moving next year’s presidential primary from March to May 8, sending the bill to the Ohio Senate for its expected approval.
House Bill 318 passed on a vote of 63-29, with several Democrats joining the majority Republicans in approving.
Comparable legislation was passed earlier this year as part of a larger Republican-backed election-reform package. But opponents, who say the bill will make it harder for elderly, poor and minority residents to vote, are collecting signatures with hopes of placing the legislation before voters in November 2012.
If they are successful, the provisions of the bill, including the primary date change, would not take effect until late next year, posing a problem for lawmakers and the state apportionment board, which are drawing new congressional and legislative district lines.
Earlier this month, Republican House Speaker Bill Batchelder and Democratic Minority Leader Armond Budish voiced their bipartisan support for a separate bill to move the 2012 primary date to give the public time to review new congressional districts and county election boards time to prepare for the election.
But Budish and most House Democrats backed away from that support this week after Republicans unveiled and passed a redistricting plan that opponents say represents partisan gerrymandering.
Several Democrats supported the final bill, including Rep. Sean O’Brien of Brookfield, who voted in favor of it after talking to his local board of elections.
“It’s a simple bill,” he said. “It helps them out and, with redistricting, I think it’s very important, and we should support this bill.”