Voters in the swing state of Ohio began casting absentee ballots Tuesday, a day after state and federal courts upheld a disputed early voting law.
Â
The courts upheld Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s interpretation of law regarding the start of early absentee voting Tuesday. In a 4-3 ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court said Brunner “correctly instructed boards of elections,” the Associated Press writes.
Despite the ruling, a challenge from the Ohio Republican Party is still before the court.
Â
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, is allowing new voters to register and cast an absentee ballot until Oct. 6. The Ohio Republican Party has accused Brunner of falsly interpreting the early voting law in order to benefit Democrats by allowing same-day registering and voting. Republicans argued that Ohio law requires voters to have been registered for 30 days before they cast an absentee ballot, according to the Associated Press.
Â
The early voting decision is likely to benefit Democrats in a state that narrowly awarded President Bush re-election in 2004. Obama’s campaign has organized car pools beginning Tuesday from college campuses to early voting sites.
Â
Despite the court ruling, Republicans weren’t ceding the early voting crowd just because they were engaged in a court challenge. “You have a special opportunity to help elect John McCain, Sarah Palin and Republicans across the ballot,” a page on the Republican National Committee’s Web site said.
Â
Deborah Creighton Skinner is the editorial director of BlackEnterprise.com. (The Associated Press contributed to this post.)