Democrat Nina Turner is seeking to make Jon Husted a one-term secretary of state in Ohio.

Democrat Nina Turner is seeking to make Jon Husted a one-term secretary of state in Ohio.

Federal District Judge Peter C. Economus ruled Thursday that Ohio cannot eliminate or restrict early voting on the three days before all future elections. Plaintiffs in the case of Ohio State Conference of the NAACP v. Husted included the NAACP, the League of Women Voters of Ohio and several African-American churches.

The ruling was another setback for Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted whose voter suppression actions have been ongoing since he stepped into office in 2011. Alan Johnson reports:



Democrats, who benefit from weekend voting because supporters tend to come to polls in greater numbers on those days, were overjoyed at the ruling. Republicans, meanwhile, were uniformly silent, with the exception of Husted, who issued a statement praising the decision as a victory for “uniformity and equality” in voting hours. In a statement, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the decision “isn’t just a victory for the Democratic Party, it’s a victory for the democratic process.” She said 96,000 Ohioans cast ballots during the final three days of early voting four years ago.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the suit for the plaintiffs, also called the ruling a "huge victory for Ohio voters and for all those who believe in protecting the integrity of our elections."

While this is a sharp and welcome defeat for Husted, as long as this partisan hack is in charge, chances of future voter suppression efforts are more than merely likely. Which is why Daily Kos has endorsed Democrat Nina Turner in the upcoming Ohio Secretary of State race. You can help her win by chipping in $5 for her campaign.

There's more analysis below the fold.