Rights groups support Ohio voting law

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Voting rights advocates are urging the Ohio Supreme Court to uphold the state's same-day registration absentee ballot voting law.

The state's Republican Party is challenging the measure in court, which allows for residents to register and cast absentee ballots on the same day between Sept. 30 and Oct. 6. The GOP says it encourages fraud, but Ohio's Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner disagrees, saying it's a continuation of laws on the books for 25 years, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of civil rights groups said Wednesday they have filed an amicus brief supporting Brunner.

"Same-day registration is a voter-friendly policy that will make voting accessible for thousands of Ohioans," Brenda Wright, legal director of the Demos Democracy Program, said in a release. "The courts should reject any last-minute effort to interfere with this practice, because such efforts only sow confusion and will disfranchise eligible voters."

Also joining in the amicus brief were the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, 1Matters, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, Project Vote and the United States Hispanic Leadership Council.