OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Donald Nugent, a federal judge who Clinton appointed, ruled that Ohio’s strict voter ID law, which includes a photo provision, is constitutional and rejected a challenge to it.
The lawsuit was filed by a Democratic law firm which contested provisions such as a photo ID, drop box restrictions, and tightened deadlines related to absentee and provisional ballots. Judge Nugent’s decision, announced on Monday, found that the Ohio photo ID requirement, in particular, “imposes no more than a minimal burden, if any, for the vast majority of voters.”
The report added: “Nugent also rejected the other claims asserted by the Elias Law Group, whose suit filed last year on behalf of groups representing military veterans, teachers, retirees, and the homeless argued the law imposed ‘needless and discriminatory burdens’ on the right to vote. The suit was filed the same day Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed the legislation over the objections of voting rights, labor, environmental, and civil rights groups that had been pleading for a veto.”
The judge stated that there is no constitutional entitlement for voters to access mail-in or early voting options. Furthermore, he pointed out that Ohio’s revised timetable for acquiring and submitting absentee ballots is still more accommodating than that of 30 other states.
Leading up to the 2020 election, three different courts admonished Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose for his issuance of an order that established the single-box restriction, deeming it as unreasonable and arbitrary. Democrats and voting rights organizations had advocated for the installation of multiple drop boxes, especially in densely populated counties, as a means to facilitate voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic, ABC reported.
Democrats filed a lawsuit in 2020, and a state appellate court ultimately ruled that Secretary of State Frank LaRose had the authority to increase the number of drop boxes without requesting additional legislative approval. However, it emphasized that he was not obliged to do so. The 2023 law, by formalizing the single-box restriction, addressed the matter for the first time.
However, Nuget said opponents of the law did not make a persuasive case.
“Put simply, Plaintiffs did not provide evidence that the drop-box rules of HB 458 imposed any burden on Ohio voters, much less an ‘undue’ one,” he wrote.
A new poll is potentially devastating for Democrats ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Surveys have shown former President Donald Trump moving past President Joe Biden for months now.
An Emerson College poll found that Trump also beats Vice President Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom, the governor of California. He also blows past Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The poll found that 45 percent of the 1,225 registered voter respondents surveyed support Trump in a race against Biden, who draws 44 percent support.
Another eleven percent of poll participants are undecided. Trump’s advantage falls within the ± 2.7 percent credibility interval.
“Trump’s slim edge grows by one point when the field widens to include third-party candidates. He leads the pack with 40 percent, followed by Biden at 38 percent and independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr. at seven percent. From there, Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent candidate Cornel West tie at one percent, with another thirteen percent undecided,” the site noted further, referencing the results.
NATIONAL POLL
2024 Hypothetical Presidential Matchups
Trump 45%
Biden 44%
11% undecidedTrump 46%
Harris 43%
11% undecidedTrump 46%
Newsom 36%
18% undecidedTrump 45%
Whitmer 33%
22% undecidedhttps://t.co/C3L12vMLMT pic.twitter.com/TYJNABER7B— Emerson College Polling (@EmersonPolling) February 16, 2024
Moreover, a plurality of voters — 45 percent — anticipate that Trump will win the next presidency, whereas 42 percent believe Biden will. Another 14 percent indicates that someone else will emerge victorious in November.
Emerson conducted polls on potential matchups between Trump and other prominent Democrats across the country against a backdrop of national attention on Biden’s mental acuity and age.
Scrutiny regarding Biden’s mental fitness and age intensified following Special Counsel Robert Hur’s damning report on Biden’s classified document case and the president’s disastrous press conference addressing it.
The polls revealed that all other Democrats trail behind Trump, and their performances were worse than Biden’s.
