Judge rules against Ohio voter advocates, rejects changes to absentee ballot signature rules

COLUMBUS – A federal court judge said Ohio's rules for matching signatures on absentee ballots to those on file are burdensome for voters but not enough to change them ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Ohio Southern District Court Judge Michael H. Watson rejected voter advocates' request to suspend those rules in a Sunday order, agreeing with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose that the process ensures integrity in the state's election procedures. Watson wrote that changing the rules a little more than a month from Election Day would be "particularly damaging."

"Some public officials have unfortunately regularly cast doubt on the security and legitimacy of voting by mail," Watson, nominated to the court by George W. Bush, wrote in his rejection of a preliminary injunction. "A federal court enjoining part of the State’s procedure for maintaining the security of mail-in voting in the weeks leading up to the election could further undermine public confidence in elections."

The lawsuit was brought by the League of Women Voters of Ohio, the A. Philip Randolph Institute of Ohio and two Ohio voters whose primary ballots didn't count because of mismatched signatures. Jen Miller, the league's executive director, said the groups are reviewing their options with their lawyers.

“While the ruling did not go our way, the judge did acknowledge the signature matching protocols are burdensome for voters,” Miller said. “Regardless, this will remain a priority for the league.”

It might be too late for further action on the issue. Voters have been submitting absentee ballot requests for months. The first absentee ballots, to military and overseas voters, started going out Sept. 18. All others... (Read more)

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