Common Cause/Ohio is one of the plaintiffs which last Thursday filed an Application for Preliminary Injunction in Federal District Court against Secretary of State Blackwell and the prosecuting attorneys of Summit and Cuyahoga Counties.  The complaint challenges the "onerous" new laws and regulations related to "core political speech and association activities."  It also specifically alleges violation of the National Voting Rights Act.

Plaintiffs, who also include Project Vote, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Ohio Now, People for the American Way Foundation, Communities of Faith Assemblies Church and American Association of People with Disabilities, feel that the new requirements will severely harm the efforts of those civic groups which typically do registration drives, by making it almost impossible for them to hire and train workers, and do the kind of quality control that is necessary in this type of effort.