House republicans were forced to scrap a proposal to slash Cuyahoga county funding if county officials send out unsolicited absentee ballot applications.
The measure, slipped in state budget review legislation on Monday, would have cut the county’s local government funding by 10 percent – an estimated $1.7 million this year – if county officials proceed with ballot mailer plans in violation of state law.
republicans are at it
again, this time more
Jim Crow voter suppression using blackmail as the means. But it's backfiring thanks to the efforts of Dems like Cuyahoga county executive and candidate for the governor of Ohio Ed Fitzgerald.
Having been beaten numerous times in court for attempting to get away with unlawful voter suppression laws, the republicans tried going around the courts, doing it on the sly.
Ed Fitzgerald and Dems alerted the Justice department submitting a memo stating that:
"What they're doing is coercion; it's extortion. We think this is a violation of the equal protection clause. It's a violation of the Voting Rights Act. And we asked for a Dept. of Justice investigation.
After we did that, the dominos began to fall. As of tonight they have backed off."
Here is Ari Melber speaking with Ohio gubernatorial candidate Ed Fitzgerald
(short ad - sorry)
transcript @ link:
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/...
Both Governor Kasich & Sec. of State John Husted spoke out against tying state funding to absentee ballot applications [extortion], expressing their "deep concern", but not until after Dems called them out with the prospect of a Justice Department investigation.
Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, a Democrat running against Gov. John Kasich (R) this year, told Roth that Ohio Republicans had defended the policy, but stopped “after we had our press conference in front of federal court this morning.”
Here is Ed Fitzgeralds website:
http://www.edfitzgeraldforohio.com/ if you would like to contribute to his campaign
Kudos to Dems on this - more please :)
Also too while searching tags I discovered this just out: OH-Gov: Ed FitzGerald (D) Calls For Federal Investigation Into Ohio Voting Restrictions by poopdogcomedy
P.S. got some tasks ahead, so back in a bit - thank you for stopping by :)
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And in other states - late update: Texas; North Carolina; Georgia GOP dusts off Jim Crow tactic: Changing election date | Updated 02/05/14