Secretary Husted has adopted a hyper-partisan approach to suppressing voting rights in order to try to ensure partisan Republican success at the ballot box this November. ”

COLUMBUS – Ohio House Democratic Leader Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) released the following statement upon the news that Secretary of State Jon Husted fired Montgomery County Elections Board members Dennis Lieberman and Tom Ritchie Sr. for supporting expanded weekend early voting hours. The two board members came under fire when they disagreed with Secretary Husted and refused to support limiting early voting hours which had been previously agreed to by both Democrats and Republicans on the Montgomery County Board of Elections. 

“Secretary Husted’s decision to fire the two Democratic members of the Montgomery County Board of Elections, Dennis Lieberman and Tom Ritchie, simply for disagreeing with him is deeply disturbing. They and the citizens of Montgomery County are being punished for standing up for the right to vote and refusing to vote to rescind early voting hours which had been agreed to on a bipartisan basis by both the Democrats and Republicans on the Montgomery County Board. It would be wise for Secretary Husted to remember that as Speaker of the House under his direction the House passed the very law (HB 234) that expanded early in-person voting.  Sadly it appears; Secretary Husted has adopted a hyper-partisan approach to suppressing voting rights in order to try to ensure partisan Republican success at the ballot box this November. ”