Ohio Republican Gov. Kasich signs bill ending same-day registration, shortening early voting; Democrat challenger “livid” Kasich signed Senate Bill 238, which eliminates “Golden Week” — when Ohioans could register and vote on the same day — and shortens early voting by a week… Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald, who also is the elected Cuyahoga County executive, said he has asked his county law director to review the two new laws for possible legal action. What has Ohio Democrats so “livid”? Claims that common-sense reforms are “outrageous and unnecessary and totally motivated by a desire to make it tougher to vote” sound like out-of-touch campaign rhetoric compared to reality: Under Senate Bill 238, the number of days for Ohioans to vote shrinks from 35 to 29; Republicans say Ohio still will be among the nation’s leaders in number of early-voting days. The bipartisan Ohio Association of Election Officials has said that allowing people to register and vote on the same day makes it difficult to properly validate those voters.
The average early voting period across the 31 states that offer early voting is 19 days. Only 10 states and the District of Columbia currently allow same-day registration.