Ohio citizens are on a roll, first decisively rejecting Gov. John Kasich's attempt to strip collective bargaining rights from public workers, and now they're about to succeed in putting a repeal of his voter suppression law on the ballot next November.
Earlier this year, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) signed a sweeping voter suppression bill which shortens the state’s early voting period, bans in-person early voting on Sundays, and prohibits boards of election from mailing absentee ballot requests to voters. In 2008, four in 10 votes in Ohio’s capitol city were cast using methods that would be eliminated by this anti-voter law.It is now almost certain, however, that Kasich’s war on democracy will not impact the 2012 election. According to the Ohio Democratic Party, the secretary of state just certified that Ohio voters submitted nearly all of the signatures they need to suspend this law until after it is ratified or rejected by the entire state electorate in November 2012.
Under Ohio law, only another 10,000 or so signatures are required to prevent the new law from being in effect for the 2012 election, so by the end of the week the law will be automatically suspended. If the referendum succeeds next November, the law will be repealed, just like Kasich's attack on workers.