Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog.Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com.

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief

CLEVELANDURBANNEWS.COM, COLUMBUS, Ohio- A federal district judge has rejected a lawsuit filed by the Ohio ACLU, the League of Women's Voters of Ohio, and several other voters rights groups that challenged a new state law that essentially precludes in- person and poll voting for this year's primary and extends the deadline to April 28 via mail-in voting, an election delayed by Gov Mike DeWine for the March 17 primary in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Ohio has more than 4,450 confirmed coronavirus cases with 1,214 hospitalizations and 142 people dead.

The lawsuit plaintiffs argued that the new state law, House Bill 197, is unconstitutional and otherwise illegal and that it disenfranchises voters by rushing the primary and denying in person voting and access to the polls, and that historically disenfranchised groups like Blacks are not accustom to mail-in voting.

They say the new legislation that reschedules Ohio's primary and limits voting, particularly to marginalized groups like minorities, violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits discrimination in voting.

The state, led by Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, also a defendant in the lawsuit, disagreed and told the court in its brief that nothing is suspect and that it is a bi-partisan effort during a pandemic rather than voter suppression, among a litany of other excuses.

Filed in the United States District Court in the Southern District of Ohio in Columbus, the coalition of voters rights groups, among other claims, wanted a new deadline for the primary beyond April 28 that is not rushed, and the re-opening of voter registration until 30 days before the voting deadline.

Voter registration in Ohio ended Feb 18.

U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson, a George Bush appointee, rejected all of the lawsuit requests and ruled that the new state law, while not necessarily the option everybody may have wanted, is not unconstitutional, or illegal on other terms.

Meanwhile, a representative from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and Democratic women leaders of Cuyahoga County, the state's second largest of 88 counties and of which includes Cleveland and several of its eastern suburbs, held a webinar last week to get the word out on voting and to explain the nuisances of HB197, which was unanimously supported by Ohio's Republican- dominated state legislature, Democrats and Republicans alike.

County Board of Elections representative Meredith Turner, a former aide to U.S. Sen Sherrod Brown of Cleveland, said during the webinar, which was led by Cindy Demsey of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Women's Caucus and Shaker Heights Democratic Club President Jane Buder Shapiro, that those who have not voted early or have not sought mail-in ballots to date should get their applications in requesting the mail-in- ballots at least by April 22 in order to get them in time to return them by April 28.

The official deadline to request a mail-in ballot is April 25 and ballots must be postmarked by April 27 or delivered to the board of elections on or before April 28.

The applications for a mail-in ballot, said Turner, can be downloaded at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and Ohio Secretary of State websites.

And while applicants must pay for postage to mail in the applications to the county board of elections, HB 197 mandates pre-paid mail in ballots to qualified applicants

Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Chairwoman Shontel Brown, the first Black woman to hold the post and also a county council woman, said during the webinar that voter registration in her county is at an all time high, particularly among Democrats, though it remains to be seen if voter turnout this year will surpass the turnout for the primary in 2016 when President Donald Trump, a Republican seeking reelection this year without any notable opposition, won Ohio and ultimately the presidency over then Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

"There are more voters registered this year in Cuyahoga County," said Brown.

Ohio was one of four states slated to hold primaries on March 17, primaries also scheduled for Florida, Illinois and Arizona, all three of them going forward with Joe Biden sweeping all three states.

On the ballot in Ohio are candidates for judge-ships, state legislative seats, Congress, health and human service issues, and more, including Democratic candidates for president.

The governor's decision to close the polls in Ohio for the March 17 primary follow his previous orders to close K-12 schools, and to forbid dining inside restaurants, coupled with a host of other precautionary measures suggested by state officials and the Centers for Disease Control, including the recommendations of avoiding gatherings of more than 50 people, staying home when sick, and getting tested if symptoms like fever and chills develop.

The field of more than 28 Democratic candidates for president has now been essentially narrowed down to two, U.S. Sen Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Biden, who was the vice president under former president Barack Obama, the nation's first Black president.

While Biden leads Sanders in pledged delegates, Sanders said he will stay in the race, the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee moved from June to August as a result of the coronavirus, which has claimed 74,558 lives worldwide with some 10,792 deaths in the U.S. alone.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog.Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.