Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has been really, really busy over the past couple years working to cut down the number of days people in Ohio have to vote, especially days when reliably Democratic voters (minorities and the poor) are most likely to turn out to the polls. Yes, Ohio’s most recent early voting restrictions were passed by the GOP-dominated General Assembly, not Husted, but he has carried them out with zeal and tenacity. He kept the state fighting federal court battles for the right to eliminate early voting days and in general has run the ballot box in a blatantly partisan manner. It’s ironic, because Husted has also taken stands against his party when it comes to voter ID laws and other restrictive measures. He could take a stand on early voting as well, but has not.
You’d think the person charged with administering Ohio’s democratic process would want to do whatever possible so that the peoples’ voices can be heard. Democrat Nina Turner, currently the state Senate’s minority whip, has pledged to do just that. She’s passionate about voter access and sticking up for the underrepresented. Turner came from a tough background and rose to become minority whip in the state Senate. We’re confident she’ll use the same tenacity in her efforts to make sure all Ohioans get a fair chance to vote. For that reason, we believe she’s the right choice for secretary of state.
You can read all about the race between Turner and Husted in this week’s news feature on page 10.
