US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, has announced a field hearing With Senator Sherrod Brown examining the impact of Ohio's new voting law, HB 194, which restricts early voting, eliminates the requirement that poll workers direct voters to the proper precinct, and makes it harder to vote absentee.
As an Ohio voter, can you attend this important hearing?
Who: US Senator Dick Durbin
US Senator Sherrod Brown
What: Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights Field Hearing: "New State Voting Laws III: Protecting the Right to Vote in America's Heartland"
When: Monday, May 7, 2012 9:30am ET
Where: Carl B. Stokes United States Court House
801 West Superior Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio
"We should encourage seniors, students, minorities, and working Americans to vote, rather than making it harder for them to do so,"said Senator Brown, who served as Ohio's Secretary of State for two terms. "But rather than protecting the right to vote - we have seen brazen attempts to undermine it. The march toward free and fair elections continues to be burdened with voter suppression and denial. Voting is a right enshrined in our Constitution - not a privilege bestowed by the few. By helping eligible voters access the ballot, we uphold the integrity of our electoral system."
HB 194 reduces the number of early voting days from 35 to 17, eliminates voting on the weekend before an election, removes the requirement that poll workers direct voters to their proper precinct and prohibits county boards of elections from mailing unsolicited absentee ballots.
HB 194 is currently subject to a ballot repeal measure in November.
Please come to this important hearing as a representative of all Ohio Voters. Thank you! Youir voice matters!
