WKSU News: UPDATED: Ohioans will vote the weekend before the election after all

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 UPDATED: Ohioans will vote the weekend before the election after all After U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Ohio's Secretary of State sets hours for Nov. 3, 4 and 5; Democrats call for more by WKSU's M.L. SCHULTZE This story is part of a special series.	Web Editor M.L. Schultze

In The Region:

UPDATE: COMPLETE, IN-PERSON EARLY VOTING HOURS ARE LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS STORY.

UPDATE: Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has issued the following statement on today's U.S. Supreme Court decision:

“Despite the Court’s decision today to deny our request for a stay, I firmly believe Ohio and its elected legislature should set the rules with respect to elections in Ohio, and not the federal court system.

“However, the time has come to set aside the issue for this election.

“Today I have set uniform hours statewide, giving all Ohio voters the same opportunities to vote in the upcoming presidential election regardless of what county they live in.”

Ohio’s Secretary of State has set in-person voting hours for the weekend before the Nov. 6 election after losing an appeal today to the U.S. Supreme Court. WKSU's M.L. Schultze has more ont he early voting battle in the battleground state:

Where early voting stands

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Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted says Ohio voters can cast ballots from 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m. and Monday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Within an hour of the Supreme Court turning down his appeal, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted set hours for voting the weekend before the Nov. 6 election.

They’ll be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday Nov. 4, and, again, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5.

The Republican-dominated state Legislature had passed a law forbidding in-person voting on those three days for everyone but military and overseas voters. Democrats claimed that targeted at suppressing voting in urban areas, where early that weekend was heavy in 2008.

The Obama campaign took the law to court and a federal judge – and a federal appeals court-- said the law unconstitutionally valued some voters over others. Husted and Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine, both Republicans, then tried to go to the high court.

In a statement after the Supreme Court ruling today, the Obama campaign said, “This action from the highest court in the land marks the end of the road in our fight to ensure open voting this year for all Ohioans, including military, veterans, and overseas voters. We now turn our full attention to educating Ohio voters on when and how they can vote.”

Husted says he still thinks he's right, but that the fight is over for this election.

In 2008, an estimated 93,000 votes were cast that final weekend, and early voting is largely credited with relieving massive problems at Ohio polling places in on election day in 2004.

State Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern is now calling on Husted to reinstate early voting for this weekend and next as well for that final election.

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