Politics: Shut Up and Vote

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Politics Shut Up and Vote Ohio is not a backward, vote-suppressing, Third World banana republic. And you never need to wait in line. By Rachael Larimore Posted Monday, Nov 05, 2012, at 08:17 PM ET It is hard to be an Ohio resident these days. Sure, all the attention from Jon Stewart and the New York Times is nice. But there are the ads that spoil my college-football watching, the robo-calls that disrupt my family time, and the door-knockers that leave me wondering. (If Obama is sending volunteers into my extremely Republican neighborhood, does that mean he's desperate or does it mean he's got a surplus of volunteers?) But what is most frustrating is that you can't look at Twitter, Facebook, or RealClearPolitics without reading a hyperbolic, hand-wringing column from a liberal bemoaning the fact that Ohio is a backward, Third-World-caliber banana republic just because people have to wait in line to take part in early voting. Give me a break. It's true that Secretary of State John Husted is a Republican, and it's true that he's fought to limit early voting this election, the result being that Ohio had a shorter early-voting period this election than in 2008. Is he acting in a partisan manner? Probably. In 2008, there were 35 early voting days, including weekends. This time around, there were 19 days total, mostly during the week, and over the final weekend, the hours were from 8 a.m.  to 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. (However, if you were in line by 2 p.m. on Saturday or 5 p.m. on Sunday, you were allowed to ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate With Gov. Christie Sidelined by Sandy, Romney Finds a New Attack Dog How Powerful Is Your Vote? The Anthony Bourdain of Sustainable Coffee Beans	Advertisement
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