Ohio: early voting overlaps with registration period
The Port Clinton News Herald reports: Early voting for the 2008 November election gets under way today in Ohio and runs through Monday.
The ballot casting comes on the heels of state and federal courts clearing the way for a weeklong period in which new voters can register and cast an absentee ballot on the same day in Ohio.
The voting rule has received media attention and been the target of lawsuits. The early voting window has become a partisan battle in a swing state where President Bush narrowly clinched re-election in 2004.
It was unclear if the Ohio Republican Party planned to appeal.
Ottawa County Board of Elections Director JoAnn Friar explained that voter registration ends 30 days prior to the election and that absentee voting starts 35 days prior to the election. That, she said, leaves a five-day window where voters are allowed to register to vote at the board of elections office and then cast an absentee ballot at the same time. -- Early voting starts today | portclintonnewsherald.com | Port Clinton News Herald