U.S. appeals court removes new
voter-intimidation rules in Ohio
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[November 07, 2016]
By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican
presidential candidate Donald Trump won a legal battle on Sunday when a
U.S. appeals court in Ohio removed new restrictions on partisan poll
watchers that Democrats had sought to prevent Election Day voter
intimidation.
The rules overturned by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals would have
imposed greater penalties on people who harass voters during Tuesday's
election.
Voter intimidation already is prohibited under U.S. law but Democrats
have pushed for greater restrictions in Ohio and five other battleground
states, citing concerns that Trump's heated rhetoric might inspire
Election Day chaos.
On the campaign trail, Trump has warned the election may be rigged and
has called on supporters to keep an eye on voting activity for possible
signs of fraud in large cities. Numerous studies have found that U.S.
voter fraud is exceedingly rare.
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On Friday U.S. District Court Judge James Gwin imposed new restrictions
on those who monitor voting activity, saying they may not interrogate
voters within 100 feet of a polling place, block them from entering, or
photograph them as they come and go. Those found to violate the rules
could be held in contempt of court.
The Trump campaign had argued that those restrictions were not
justified, given that there had been no reported instances of voter
harassment in the state so far.
"In the end, plaintiff's case rested on rhetoric, not evidence," Trump
attorney Chad Readler wrote in a court filing on Saturday.
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![](../images/110716pics/news_u35.jpg)
Voters wait in line to cast their ballots during early voting at the
Franklin County Board of Elections in Columbus, in Columbus, Ohio
U.S., October 28, 2016. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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The appeals court sided with Trump, lifting the new rules two days
before Election Day. The ruling came before Democrats had a chance
to respond to Readler's motion and the party said it may appeal.
"We are stunned that a court would rule without even allowing one of
the parties to file a memo explaining their case, but that is
exactly what the Sixth Circuit has done in this decision. We are
exploring our options to reverse this unfortunate ruling," Ohio
Democratic Party spokeswoman Kirstin Alvanitakis said.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Bill Trott)
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