Sanders Sues in Ohio to Protect Young and Minority Voters

https://berniesanders.com/sanders-sues-in-ohio-to-protect-young-and-minority-voters/


"U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign on Tuesday sued Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted in federal court over his unconstitutional attempt to block young voters from casting ballots in the state’s March 15 presidential primary election.

"It is an outrage that the secretary of state in Ohio is going out of his way to keep young people – significantly African-American young people, Latino young people – from participating."
– Sen. Sanders

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ohio, along with six Ohio 17-year-olds seeking to vote in next week’s presidential primary in the Buckeye State. It alleges that Husted’s directive would “arbitrarily discriminate” against young voters, who U.S. census data show are more heavily African American and Latino than older groups of voters.

The legal action seeking injunctive relief against the secretary of state was announced by Sanders at a plane-side news conference before a flight from Michigan to Florida. “I want to do everything that I can to encourage people to participate. Unfortunately, in the state of Ohio there is an effort by the secretary of state to do exactly the opposite,” Sanders said.

Ohio is among more than 20 states where 17-year-olds who will turn 18 by the general election in November are allowed to vote in primaries. Last December, however, the secretary of state decided the young voters were ineligible to participate in the presidential primary. The lawsuit contends that action discriminates against minorities. It also says that the secretary of state’s actions violate the Due Process and Equal Protection provisions of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution...."