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LaRose, Voting Rights Violations, Ohio 2024
The Justice Department has filed statements of interest in federal courts in Ohio and Alabama to promote the correct and uniform interpretation of voting laws that guard the rights of voters with disabilities.
The private plaintiffs, League of Women Voters of Ohio, brought a lawsuit (League of Women Voters of Ohio v. LaRose) in Ohio, challenging state laws that restrict how voters with disabilities may receive assistance, or from whom they may receive assistance, in casting an absentee ballot. The Justice Department’s statements of interest confirm that Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act permits voters with disabilities who require assistance to receive that assistance from any person they choose, so long as that person is not an agent of the voter’s employer or union.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division said, “No voter should be denied access to the ballot based on a disability. The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy, and the Justice Department will take action to safeguard that right for all eligible voters, including those with disabilities who need assistance casting absentee ballots.”
U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio said, “Every Ohio resident, disabled or not, has a fundamental right to vote. Ohio residents with disabilities should have the access and assistance they need to exercise that basic right of citizenship.”
The statements of interest in Ohio also affirm that Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires public entities provide equal opportunities to vote absentee and allows voters with disabilities to use an assistor of their choice as a reasonable modification.
The Justice Department’s statements of interest in Ohio and Alabama are part of the Justice Department’s nationwide efforts to ensure that the voting rights of all individuals, including people with disabilities, are protected.
More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. More information about the ADA and the Justice Department’s enforcement of the rights of people with disabilities is available at www.ada.gov.
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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