WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Ohio's Republican leaders who sought to block early voting there on the final weekend before election day.
The justices without comment turned down an emergency appeal filed by Secretary of State Jon Husted.
The court's action leaves intact rulings from two federal courts in Ohio that require the state to open the polls for all voters, including military personnel, on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the election.
Four years ago, more than 105,000 voters cast ballots during this final-weekend period, and a heavy turnout of African American voters gave a boost to Barack Obama's winning campaign.
UPDATE: Secretary of State Jon Husted quickly responded Tuesday to a U.S. Supreme Court decision to reject his appeal of a case ending early in-person voting the Friday before election by issuing a directive setting uniform hours. The hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3; 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5.
Related:
SCOTUSblog: Ohio rebuffed on early voting
