We’ve been keeping a close eye on the voting-rights controversy in Ohio, where Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted is so opposed to early-voting opportunities, he stated his intention this week to ignore a federal court ruling pending an appeal.
Today, Husted came to his senses. Scott Keyes has the story.
After previously trying to restrict early voting, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R) today reversed course on his decision to block county boards of elections from setting their own early voting hours in the days leading up to the November election. […]
Facing a direct court order, Husted has chosen instead to back down. This afternoon, Husted’s office released Directive 2012-42 with a brief message: “Directive 2012-40 is hereby rescinded.” As a result, county boards of elections will now be allowed to set their own hours, pending Husted’s appeal of the Obama for America v. Husted decision.
At this point, it would seem Husted has a responsibility to start working with counties on uniform early-voting schedules, but as Rick Hasen noted, the Ohio Secretary of State, after apologizing to the court for ignoring its ruling, requested a stay.









