U.S. Supreme Court Leaves Ohio Voting Restrictions Unchanged

WASHINGTON, DC — "Golden Week" voting procedures will not be reinstated, the U.S. Supreme Court decided on Tuesday. Golden Week referred to a week when people could register and vote in the same week or even the same day.

Golden Week was established in 2004 when some voters waited up to 12 hours to vote. The voting procedure was one part of an overhaul of Ohio's electoral system. In 2014, state officials shut down Golden Week voting procedures citing voter fraud as the reason.

Democrats claimed that the Golden Week shutdown adversely affected African- American voters who relied on early voting opportunities.

"Golden Week has formed an essential part of the election reforms that ameliorated, but did not completely remedy, the long lines, chaos and confusion that plagued the 2004 presidential election in Ohio," stated Marc Elias, a lawyer for the Ohio Democrats, in court records.

CNN reports that Ohio lawyers argued that even without Golden Week voting procedures, Ohio still has some of the most lenient and flexible early voting provisions in the country.

"Ohio remains a national leader when it comes to early voting opportunities," Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine stated in court records.

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