Ohio courts to rule on voting case if one-stop period lost

By Stephen Majors

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Advocates for the homeless have lined up vans to ferry potential voters from shelters. The prize could be thousands of traditionally elusive voters in hard-fought Ohio who would have the chance to register and vote on the same day – if the courts don’t intervene.

One-stop voting, scheduled for Tuesday through Oct. 6, would be especially convenient for those Democratic-leaning voters who have traditionally had trouble getting to the polls. “The populations that we focus on, the lower income and minority populations, move more often,” said Teresa James, an attorney in northeast Ohio for Project Vote, which pushes for greater voting participation. “They’re also more likely to have jobs that aren’t flexible in terms of voting.”

Ohio is one of more than 30 states that allow voters to cast an early ballot. Turnout has been 10 percent to 17 percent higher than the national average in the six states that had same-day registration and voting before 2006, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Ohio’s six day early voting period has sparked several lawsuits, including one by GOP-backed voters who say the period in which voters can register and vote on the same day is illegal. That lawsuit is before the Republican-dominated Ohio Supreme Court, which is expected to rule Monday.

Associated Press Writer Joe Milicia in Cleveland contributed to this report

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