Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell is no stranger to controversy - he's perhaps best known for his 2004 edict on paper weight for voter registration forms, of course.
Now he's back in the middle of a hailstorm of angry words from Ohio reform groups, who say that Blackwell has implemented rules for a voter registration law that are stricter than the law itself. For example:
During the hearing, critics voiced concern about a provision in training materials issued by Blackwell, the GOP candidate for governor. It requires people who register voters to return forms directly to the state.
The problem, they said, is that voter-registration groups such as the League of Women Voters and labor unions often collect registration forms, check that they were completed properly and then submit them to county boards of elections or the secretary of state in bulk. Under the new rule, the person helping voters register would have to turn in the form personally.
For some angry and frustrated quotes from Ohio reform activists, click "Read More."
From us:
"When the rules are more restrictive than the statute, it raises questions about the intent of the secretary of state," said Samuel Gresham Jr., executive director of Common Cause Ohio.
Hardest-hit, he said, will be the poor and minorities, because they rely most on voterregistration efforts.
"Exercising (one's) right to vote should not be impeded by processes," the former Columbus Urban League leader said.
From the Brennan Center for Justice:
"The proposed rules from Secretary Blackwell are obstructing voter-registration efforts intended to help all Ohioans," said Raj Nayak, associate counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group at New York University School of Law.
"These rules will make it harder for Ohio citizens to register to vote and to exercise their fundamental right to the franchise."
From the League of Women Voters:
Peg Rosenfield, elections specialist for the League of Women Voters, said she fears that the league and other voter-registration groups would have to abandon their efforts in Ohio.
"The combination of ambiguity and the restrictions -- we don't know what to tell people," Rosenfield said. "The bill is restrictive but (the rules) are more restrictive than the bill."
And from Blackwell's partisan opponents:
Brian Rothenberg, spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party, said, "Once again, Blackwell has chosen a divisive path of voter suppression and legal sleight of hand to disenfranchise voting opportunity in Ohio."
Ouch.
