Husted, Turner spar over early voting in secretary of state race

COLUMBUS — Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted sums up his first term in a short phrase: “Easy to vote, hard to cheat.”

That’s what he says he’s accomplished over the past four years as the state’s chief elections officer, ensuring ample opportunity for eligible residents to cast ballots while working to block those who are ineligible from

doing the same.

“We try to balance access to the polls while at the same time ensuring the integrity of the elections process,” Husted said.

But state Sen. Nina Turner, his Democratic opponent, said Husted and Statehouse Republicans have made it more difficult to vote in Ohio, cutting the absentee period and refusing to set evening and more weekend hours for casting early ballots.

“I am a pro-voter person,” Turner said. “I believe that the secretary of state’s job is to expand and protect access to the ballot box, and unfortunately, in my opinion, that has not been happening in the great state of Ohio.”

The early voting issue is central in the secretary of state’s race, with Husted and Turner as the two major party candidates, along with Libertarian Kevin Knedler.

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com