Source: San Hendren, WOSU 

Ohio House & Senate Dems 

Release Voter Suppression Report 

Columbus—House and Senate Democrats are calling on Ohio Secretary of 

State Jon Husted to rescind his May 30, 2013 tie vote decision that ordered

the Hamilton County Board of Elections to refer 39 voters who lawfully cast

their ballots to prosecutors for investigation. Franklin County referred 90

lawful voters for investigation. Democrats also asked for a directive to be

issued to all counties prohibiting such harassment of voters who followed the

clear letter of the law when they voted in the 2012 election.  

 According to a letter sent to Secretary Husted, these voters followed Ohio

law when they cast provisional ballots on Election Day after requesting or 

submitting an absentee ballot. The statutes anticipate that voters could

experience problems with absentee ballots and explicitly allow these voters

to vote provisionally on Election Day as a failsafe, the letter said.  

The report found thousands of instances of voter suppression during the

DOMA Ruling Means Greater 

Equality, and Comes During Pride

Month 

 After marching in both the Columbus and

Cleveland Pride Parades, Senator Turner 

has a new appreciation for what it means

to be an ally for marriage equality and

LGBT rights. 

This week, the Supreme Court ruled to

strike down the 1996 Defense of 

Marriage Act (DOMA), immediately grant-

ing eligibility for all legally married

persons to apply for federal benefits. In

the majority opinion, Justice Kennedy

wrote that the main effect of DOMA was

to “identify a subset of state-sanctioned

marriages and make them unequal,”

rendering the act unconstitutional. 

“This decision is truly a landmark for civil

rights. Public opinion is shifting rapidly on

the issue of marriage equality and the

majority of Americans support it,"

SCOTUS Rules on Voting Rights

Act, Weakens Effect 

Washington, D.C.—On Tuesday, June

25, the Supreme Court of the United

States issued a ruling on the Voting

Rights Act of 1965 that preserves

Congress' authority to exercise regula-

tion over state elections. The Majority

Opinion found that Section 4 of the Act,

which established a "coverage formula"

to determine which states and localities

would be subject to Section 5 require-

ments, is unconstitutional. 

"The conditions that originally justified

these measures no longer characterize

voting in the covered jurisdictions," the

Majority opinion reads. 

In effect, the ruling nullifies the pre-

clearance requirements of Section 5 of 

the Voting Rights Act. Many places in the

U.S. have a history of suppressing the

The report found thousands of instances of voter suppression during the

2012 election, ranging from poll worker error to ballot technicalities. A report

released by the Secretary of State in May claimed that Ohio experienced

zero cases of voter suppression in 2012, and noted that 0.00002% of votes

cast were referred to prosecutors for potential fraud. Read the full letter. 

the ruling especially powerful. Additional-

ly, the ruling date—June 26—marked the

10-year anniversary of the Court’s

decision on Lawrence v. Texas, another 

major victory against discriminatory state

laws. 

Despite the ruling, the Court did affirm

the effectiveness of pre-clearance and

the ability of Congress to require it. 

GOP Budget Leaves

Women and the Poor 

Behind, Gives Tax Cut

to Ohio's Wealthiest 

Columbus—Senator Turner and the

Senate Democratic Caucus voted

against House Bill 59, the state’s two-

year budget plan, this week. The bill,

which includes policy and appropria-

tions changes, will continue to

undermine access to women’s health

care, inadequately provide for quality

K-12 instruction, and disproportionate-

ly benefit Ohio’s wealthiest citizens. “We had the opportunity to make schools whole,

yet Ohio Republicans chose to give this money away—foregoing a worthwhile invest-

ment in our state’s next generation—to give massive tax breaks to the wealthiest

Ohioans. Tax breaks that, over the last few years, have failed in creating the economic

growth they promised,” Senator Turner said.  

 At a press conference on Thursday to protest the last minute anti-choice provisions

added to the budget, medical professionals decried the measures as intruding on their 

patient-doctor relationship. 

“Physicians are rejecting the new provisions that would undermine their medical

knowledge and insert the legislature into the examination room. Doctors are offended

1 Capitol Square

Room 223

Columbus, Ohio 43215  

T: 614/466.4583 

F: 614/644.6164 

Toll-free: 800/282.0253 

turner@ohiosenate.gov 

www.ohiosenate.gov 

regulations for abortion providers.