Supreme Court Refuses to Reinstate 'Golden Week' Voting Rights in Ohio

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld Ohio’s restrictive voting laws, meaning people will not be able to register and cast a ballot on the same day at the start of the state’s early voting period.

Click Here: camiseta seleccion argentina

The court let stand a previous ruling by a federal appeals court, which in August rejected a challenge by Ohio Democrats that sought to reinstate the window of time, known as the “Golden Week,” that was first implemented in 2004 but abolished in 2013 by a Republican legislature.

The Democrats have continually argued that doing away with that rule violated constitutional rights of minority voters, who are more likely to make use of the early period.

“Tens of thousands of Ohio voters have relied on Golden Week during the past two presidential elections, and African Americans have done so at far higher rates than other voters,” they told the high court.

The state countered that the Golden Week placed a burden on state and local officials, and noted that it had added an extra Sunday to the existing time period of early voting as part of a separate lawsuit settlement with the NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and other groups.