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Cleveland
Plain Dealer...
A
vote for simple, consistent election
rules
October 20, 2011
It’s
OK if voters are undecided at
this stage in a campaign. But three weeks from Election Day, with early
balloting under way, they shouldn’t be confused about how to vote. And
in
Cuyahoga County, many are.
A
long tug of war in Columbus over
election rules has resulted in changes affecting early voting this
fall. In
addition, because of an agreement with the Justice Department, all
Cuyahoga
County voters are, for the first time, getting a bilingual ballot.
That’s a lot
of change and uncertainty. Here are some of the issues:
•Absentee
ballots: Since 2006,
Cuyahoga County has mailed absentee ballot applications to all eligible
voters.
But as a result of a new state law -- now on hold pending a possible
referendum
-- as well as a directive from Secretary of State Jon Husted and an
agreement
between Husted and County Executive Ed FitzGerald, there will be no
unsolicited
applications mailed out this fall. But many people still seem to expect
them.
Only half as many applications have come in as at this point in 2009.
To
its credit, the elections board is
trying to counter any confusion by mailing postcards with instructions
to
251,000 people who voted absentee in the recent past but haven’t asked
for a
ballot this year.
Political
parties, nonprofit groups
and media outlets need to redouble their efforts to get the word out,
too.
Going forward, state law should be changed so every voter in Ohio gets
such a
reminder.
•Postage:
Another ill-conceived change
in state law forbids local election boards from paying the postage on
ballots,
as Cuyahoga County has done before, and that has confused voters and
upset some
who don’t wish to pay 64 cents to send in their ballots. Asking people
to
spring for two stamps is hardly a poll tax, but it’s also not worth
disenfranchising voters; post offices in the state should deliver
ballots, no
matter how little postage is affixed.
•In-person
early voting: By law,
early, in-person voting at the Board of Elections will close the Friday
before
Election Day. There were no extended hours in 2009 either, but there
have been
in even-numbered years, so that’s also creating confusion. The board
office
will be open the next two weekends for people who want to vote early in
person.
•Bilingual
ballots: The combination of
Spanish and complex issues makes for a long, daunting ballot, and some
voters
say they are confused by the placement of the ovals to mark choices.
County
elections Director Jane Platten says she and her staff looked at many
possible
designs and what they settled on looks a lot like bilingual ballots in
other
jurisdictions. This is a change voters will have to get used to.
Bottom
line: Ohio needs to settle on
simple, fair election rules. The alternative is confused voters -- and
no one
should want that.
Read
this and other articles at the
Cleveland Plain Dealer
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