Editorial: Take the first step: Basic election reforms shouldn’t be stalled by partisan jockeying

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH, November 10, 2009. COLUMBUS — The Democratic majority in the Ohio House and Republican majority in the Senate should find the election reforms they can agree on and move expeditiously to enact them. Time is growing short before the high-profile, high-stakes 2010 midterm elections.

Competing bills to make Ohio voting smoother, more accessible and less vulnerable to fraud are being considered in both chambers of the General Assembly. Senate Bill 8, authored by Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, has been stuck in committee since its introduction in February. Substitute House Bill 260, originally introduced in August by Columbus Democratic Reps. Dan Stewart and Tracy Heard, is likely to pass before Thanksgiving.

There’s no guarantee about the fate of either piece of legislation if it reaches the opposite chamber.

The bills diverge on some things, but they agree on important points. Both the House and Senate would expand the number of early-voting sites — one just isn’t enough for each county. And both eliminate the “golden week” that occurred for several days leading up to the November 2008 election, which allowed voters to register and then cast a ballot the same day.

Certain provisions are viewed as sticking points. A House idea, for example, would allow provisional ballots to count toward the top races such as president as long as voters are in their own county, even if they aren’t in their correct precincts. Seitz, author of the competing bill, called that a “non-starter.”

So here’s the answer: Pass the ideas on which everyone can agree, and set aside the rest to hash out later. Lawmakers need to think of the state’s welfare and its need for a fair and clear-cut election next fall. They shouldn’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

House Democrats and Senate Republicans disagree on who makes the final decisions on where early-voting sites will go: The House wants the secretary of state to break any 2-2 ties on county boards of elections, and the Senate says that three members of the bipartisan boards have to agree on the voting site.

But how hard does this have to be? Sure, a given location may be more convenient for one party’s voters, but any increase in early- voting sites will shorten the travel distance for all voters. Surely a reasonable siting standard can be devised to get this useful reform in place.

The art of compromise can’t be completely lost on Capitol Square. A new law, with the best reform ideas that Rs and Ds can agree on, ought to be enacted well before Nov. 2, 2010.