An initiative on voting rights in Ohio failed to get enough signatures: Advocates of an amendment to the Ohio constitution that would guarantee specific voting rights said Tuesday that they fell far short of the 385,000 signatures they needed to get the "Ohio Voters Bill of Rights" onto the November ballot. They only had obtained about 100,000 signatures. A spokeswoman said they had done well considering being constrained by a 90-day deadline and shortage of funds.

Opposing forces have been battling in the courts and legislature for more than two years over early voting and other rules. If passed, the amendment would have guaranteed expanded early voting times on weekends. A federal court recently reinstated early voting on the three days before the election for all voters because active military personnel have that option. But that ruling might fade away if the legislature changes the rules for military personnel.

According to the Associated Press, on Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio filed a motion requesting the judge to order the restoration of the state's "golden week" and to require that Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted establish standard set early voting hours on weekday evenings and multiple Sundays.

• Freepress:Shedding New Light on Dark Money. Timothy Karr writes:



On Tuesday, every major broadcast television station in the United States is required to post online information about the political ads that they air. These broadcasters were already required by law to keep a "political file" on site at their stations. Now this file will also be maintained at the Federal Communications Commission website with stations posting copies of contracts showing who these political advertisers are, how much they're spending on ads, and where and when their ads air. [...] While its not likely to stifle the flood of money being spent on political ads, the FCC's online file will help shed light on the groups that are spending so much -- giving voters more clarity on who's trying to influence their choices at the ballot box. This is critical in this age of rampant dark money. While the Federal Elections Commission has a limited ability to identify the shadowy political advertisers that have emerged in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, the FCC has a clear legal path to transparency. Broadcasters are obliged by law to disclose who pays for political ads in exchange for using the airwaves. It’s a public interest bargain stretching back almost a century, and one that forms the foundation of U.S. communications law.

There's more about the war on voting below the orange butterfly ballot.