A divided U.S. Supreme Court blocked an early voting period known as "Golden Week"from starting tomorrow in Ohio, reinstating Republican-backed limits the state put in place this year.
The court voted 5-4 along ideological lines. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Jon Husted had asked the Supreme Court to intervene after two lower courts blocked the planned limits as likely to violate the rights of black voters in the Nov. 4 election.
The new rules eliminate Golden Week, a period in which voters can register and cast ballots on the same day. The changes also cut Sunday and evening voting.
Voting hours in Ohio have been the focus of a racially charged debate since the 2004 presidential election, when some people had to wait in line as long as 12 hours to cast their ballots.
The case is DeWine v. Ohio State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 14A336.
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