COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted on Wednesday yielded to mounting state and national criticism of Ohio's uneven early voting rules, ordering that voting hours be the same across the state.

The Republican directed Ohio's 88 county boards of election to adhere to these hours of operation during the 35-day early voting period: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the first three weeks, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the final two weeks.

But there will be no weekend voting when early voting begins on Oct. 2, Husted said.

"The bottom line is the antagonists have made an issue about the fact that voters aren't being treated fairly, that they aren't being treated the same," Husted said during a hastily called news conference at his office. "Today we're treating voters everywhere the same."

The secretary's order has hardly squelched the controversy as Democrats immediately issued calls of injustice over the lack of weekend voting hours, a crucial voting period for Democrats during the last presidential election in 2008.

"Each moment we get closer to Election Day, Republicans find more ways to chip away at the number of days and hours Ohio voters have access to the polls," Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern said in a statement. "Now Secretary of State Jon Husted has eliminated weekend voting and slashed hours across the entire state."

Ohio House Democrats Armond Budish of Beachwood and Sandra Williams of Cleveland issued a statement noting that 21 counties had already decided to have early voting hours on weekends, which Husted's directive now nullifies. They noted that the directive will make it difficult for people who work typical business hours to vote early.

"We are disappointed in the Secretary's decision to carry out deceptive tactics being used across the nation to disenfranchise minorities, senior citizens, students, and lower income voters in this crucial election year," said Budish, the House minority leader, and Williams.

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Under Ohio law, Ohio's four-member boards of election -- two Republicans and two Democrats -- can set their own hours for early voting. And when there is a tie, the secretary of state casts the deciding vote.

Husted had clearly stated that if called upon to break a tie, he would vote to keep the voting hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and no weekend hours. He did just that by casting deciding votes in Democrat-rich Cuyahoga, Summit, Franklin and Lucas counties -- with major Ohio cities Cleveland, Akron, Columbus and Toledo, respectively, at their core.

Meanwhile, Republican-dominated Warren and Butler counties in Southwest Ohio had voted to extend their weekday hours and allow for weekend voting. The Republicans on the boards in those counties joined Democrats in extending hours, but the Republicans in the Democratic counties did not, which forced tie votes for Husted to break.

Democrats and government watchdog groups immediately speculated on a political conspiracy aided by Republican Husted.

Husted on Wednesday said he supports uniform early voting hours, but slammed the Republican-controlled legislature for not addressing the matter in statute and helping to cause the controversy that on Wednesday drew a scathing New York Times editorial rebuke of Husted.

"What would you like the hours of operation to be? I wish the General Assembly would establish that," Husted said. "Because I don't like the idea that it is left in the hands of myself or any other secretary of state in the future. But they didn't do that."

Husted also blamed partisan politics for the recent uproar. He was talking about Democrats.

"What we are is a swing state. And partisans will try to make hay out of the rules, and that's the reason today the rules are fair for everyone," he said. "You may not like the hours of operation. You may think they are too long, you may think they are too short. But they are fair for everybody."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, one of Husted's toughest critics on this issue, said the secretary's directive is a step in the right direction but that concerns remain.

"Unfortunately many voters will still have difficulty getting to the polls early without weekend access to early voting," said Mike Brickner of the ACLU.

Husted has an answer for that, too.

"It's like anything else in life, don't procrastinate," the secretary said.

Husted noted that this year for the first time Ohio is mailing out absentee ballot applications to all 6.8 million registered Ohio voters, which increases access to voting by mail. And while critics may not like the hours he has set, Husted said there will be 35 full days before the Nov. 6 election when people can find time to vote early if they choose.

Under a new Ohio law, early voting ends on Friday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. That law is being challenged by President Barack Obama's campaign, which has sued in federal court to try to force Ohio to re-open the final three days of voting before Election Day -- a crucial voting period for Democrats in 2008, especially in Cuyahoga County.