Friday, October 17, 2008

Supreme Court Rejects GOP Attempt To Disenfranchise Ohio Voters

The U.S. Supreme Court, siding with Democrats in a fight that might affect the presidential election, blocked an order requiring Ohio officials to step up efforts to identify invalid voter registrations.

The justices today said Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner doesn't have to comply with an order to provide county election boards with lists of new registrants whose information doesn't match up with government databases. A federal trial judge had ordered Brunner to supply the lists by today.

Brunner, a Democrat, said the judge's order could have affected as many as 200,000 Ohioans, potentially forcing them to cast provisional ballots instead of regular ballots. That group likely would have included a disproportionate number of Democrats because of that party's efforts to register new voters this year.

The case is Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party, 07A332.