Judge grants injunction against Ohio early-voting law

A judge has restored in-person early voting in Ohio for people who are not members of the military or are living overseas, the Associated Press reports.

U.S. District Court Judge Peter C. Economus of the Cincinnati granted a preliminary injunction against a state law passed last year that would only allow early in-person voting by members of the military and their families. The injunction orders Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R) to not enforce the law. 

The Obama campaign was one of the parties behind the lawsuit in the critical swing state. They argue everyone should have the right to vote in person those last three days before Election Day.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has already announced that the state intends to appeal to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is based in Cincinnati.

The lawsuit is fraught with political implications: 93,000 voters took advantage of early voting in 2008, and many of them voted for President Obama. The law itself is part of a larger trend of Republican legislatures passing laws such as voter ID requirements in states like Pennsylvania and Texas. Republicans argue that the laws are necessary to combat voting fraud.

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