Alexander on Ohio Voter Suit: Obama Campaign Sees "No Difference Between Active Duty Service Members and Civilians--Well, I see the Difference and I Think Most Tennesseans See the Difference"

Press Release

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today made the following statement about the Obama campaign's lawsuit to prevent the state of Ohio from allowing active-duty service members three extra days to vote:

"When Ohio amended its election laws, it made sure to provide extra time to vote for its active-duty service members who are away from home. The Obama campaign sued the state and argued that there is no difference between active-duty service members and civilians. Well, I see the difference, and I think most Tennesseans see the difference. The men and women who sacrifice their lives for our safety, often far from home, have certainly earned the reasonable exception the state of Ohio has made."

The Obama campaign is suing the state of Ohio over its law allowing an extra three days for active military to vote in-person during the early vote period, arguing it violates the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause and saying that military members shouldn't get extra time to vote and that the extra three days should apply to all Ohio residents.

A United States District Court has entered a preliminary injunction preventing the state from enforcing its new law. The state of Ohio is appealing that decision to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Fifteen military groups have joined the state in the lawsuit contending that there is a long history in the United States of giving military personnel special accommodations to ensure they are able to participate in elections.

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