In an era when judges often give the final word against Republican extremism, Democratic judges are more important than ever. That’s why we endorse Martha Good and Bruce Whitman for Ohio’s First District Court of Appeals.
Republicans have been doing their best to suppress voters since they were voted into office in big waves in 2010. Shortly after getting into office, they passed laws severely limiting access to early voting. Most of the laws were repealed after public backlash, but Republicans ended up keeping a restriction on early voting for the weekend and Monday before Election Day that said only military personnel and their families could vote.
Then came the federal court rulings. They told Republicans the restriction was unconstitutional, and in-person early voting on the three days before Election Day must be open to all voters.
It makes sense. After all, what good reason is there to make voting more difficult? Republicans have cited costs and even racial politics. In an email to The Columbus Dispatch published Aug. 19, Doug Preisse, a close adviser to Gov. John Kasich, wrote, “I guess I really actually feel we shouldn’t contort the voting process to accommodate the urban — read African-American — voter-turnout machine.”
Classy. This kind of issue is why now, more than ever, we need Democrats to stand up to a Republican-controlled state government.
