As Democrats and Republicans ripped each other for an unwillingness to negotiate, a bill to reduce Ohio's in-person early voting by one week took another step toward law yesterday.

As Democrats and Republicans ripped each other for an unwillingness to negotiate, a bill to reduce Ohio�s in-person early voting by one week took another step toward law yesterday.

In another display of why election bills are among the most highly charged issues in the Statehouse, a contentious House committee featured a highly unusual move by the chairman to display a poster titled, �Where are the Democrats on needed election reforms?� just before a vote was taken.

Rep. Ron Gerberry, D-Austintown, in his 26th year as a lawmaker, said he had never seen that before.

�An open process? Bull,� he said later. �A bipartisan process? What a joke.�

On party-line votes, a House committee approved a bill reducing in-person early voting from 35 days to 29 days before Election Day, and a bill that would block Franklin County and others from mailing unsolicited absentee-ballot applications, leaving it instead to the secretary of state�s office so long as lawmakers approve the funding.

Full House votes are likely next week. The Senate already has approved the bills.

Eliminating a week of early voting would do away with the �golden week,� where people can register and vote on the same day. The bill does not establish which hours or days county board offices must be open � leaving that to a future directive by Secretary of State Jon Husted.

Dana Walch, deputy director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, said same-day registration can cause problems if the registration cannot be verified before Election Day.

Plus, �that�s an extra week we have got to put staff out there,� he said. �Research in Franklin County shows that very few people use that first week.�

Democrats and some voting-rights advocates have argued there is no good reason to eliminate a week of early voting. They also worry about a potential lack of voting on weekends � and some Republicans appeared OK with the idea of trimming it back.

Rep. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, talked about a voter who thinks it�s very important to cast a ballot, �but I�m only going to do it if someone will drive me there after church on Sunday.�

�Really? Is that the person we need to cater to when we�re making public policy about elections?"

Gerberry countered that Republicans want to �get as many people as they can to vote, but they have to be the right people.� Democrats generally fare better among early voters.

�Who votes on Sunday in the state of Ohio? I�ll tell you. It�s poor people and a lot of African-American churches in our inner cities,� he said. �And who do they vote for? They generally vote for the Democrats.�

Husted has expressed past support for the Ohio Association of Elections Officials� recommendation on early voting. During gubernatorial election years, it calls for no Sunday voting and voting on the two Saturdays before the election.

Republicans have noted that even at 29 days, Ohio would still be among the top 10 states nationally for early voting � and people also have the option to vote by mail. They also criticized Democrats for not offering compromise proposals.

Asked about the poster, Rep. Mike Dovilla, R-Berea, the committee chairman, said �I just wanted to be sure folks were aware of the process we attempted to follow. It�s a matter of rhetoric not being followed up by action on one side.�

jsiegel@dispatch.com

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