WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) issued the following statement regarding the vote in the Ohio House today approving SB 295. This measure reverses HB 194, an overhaul of state election law before voters have an opportunity to vote on a referendum for a full repeal in the November 2012 General Election.

"HB 194 was an attack on voting rights and should never have been enacted in the first place. While I am pleased that Ohio voters will now be spared from measures that cut the early voting period in half, make it harder to vote by mail or find the correct precinct, it should be noted SB 295 is not a full repeal.  It leaves intact the ban on early voting in the three days prior to an election.  If Ohio lawmakers truly wanted to make the ballot accessible to all, this restriction must be removed as well," said Congresswoman Fudge.

"What is happening in Ohio is not unique. By design, state legislatures are erecting barriers to voting by pre-determined groups including seniors, students, minorities and the working poor.  I will continue to speak out wherever these efforts occur.”

On a national level, Congresswoman Fudge has been an early, and continues to be a strong voice for voter protection.  She testified Monday at a Senate field hearing in Cleveland on efforts to limit voting rights.   Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, presided over the hearing, and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown served as a member of the hearing panel.

Click  here for a copy of the Congresswoman’s testimony.