Common Cause Applauds Kasich’s Veto of “Poll Tax” Bill

Statement by Catherine Turcer, Common Cause Ohio policy analyst

Gov. Kasich’s veto of this bad bill is good news for every Ohioan. No one should have to spend a penny, much less the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars that would have been required by this bill, to protect the ability their fellow citizens to vote.

Weather emergencies, power outages, unstaffed polling places, and malfunctioning machines— none of these are the voters’ fault. The problems are rare but obstacles shouldn’t be put in voters’ way if longer hours are necessary.

We hope members of the legislature who supported this bill and other recent proposals to restrict voting rights or make exercising them more difficult will take the governor’s veto to heart. The legislature should focus on ways to encourage voting so that elections can be decided based on the ideas and character of the candidates, not on who controls access to the ballot box.