Friday, June 17, 2016
COLUMBUS (AP) — Gov. John Kasich vetoed a bill today that would have required a cash bond for people to get a court order to keep polling places open late on Election Day in the key swing state.
Kasich, a Republican, said he agrees with many of the bill requirements, but its bond provision goes “a step too far.”
“Prohibiting state court judges from exercising their discretion to waive the bond requirement in only these types of cases is inequitable and might deter persons from seeking an injunction to allow after-hours voting when there may be a valid reason for doing so,” he said in his veto message.
The bill creates a process for state courts to follow when considering whether to grant a last-minute extension of voting hours. Such cases could stem from bad weather, voting equipment failures or other problems.
People seeking emergency relief from the court would have to pay a cash bond for the polls to remain open past their typical 7:30 p.m. close. The bond amount, determined by a judge, could be in the tens of thousands of dollars. The court must consider the cost of keeping the polls open.
The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Bill Seitz, blasted Kasich’s veto. He said without the bill, judges “bent on appeasing their political allies to rig the elections” could set different voting hours in Ohio’s 88 counties.