The League of Women Voters of Ohio wants HB 194 to be repealed and is supporting the effort to collect sufficient signatures to put a referendum on the ballot for November 2012. The League testified against measures in the law when it was in committee, but their concerns were ignored and the bill was passed without any Democratic votes.

The League is seeking repeal of HB 194 because, according to a statement released by the League, HB 194,  “could significantly increase lines on Election Day, force many more voters to vote provisionally and result in more votes being disqualified.” The League says their position on HB 194 is in keeping with their historical work, “to remove obstacles to voting, ensure all eligible voters can vote and ensure all valid votes are counted.” The League objects to these provisions in the bill:

• Shortening early voting from five weeks to three and eliminating most weekend hours.
• Elimination of requirement that poll workers direct voters to the correct precinct. (Failure to vote in the correct precinct means that the vote will not count.)
• Prohibiting boards of elections mailing absentee voter forms to voters or paying the return postage on such forms.
• Establishing a minimum precinct size in cities, which could result in longer lines on Election Day.
• Long lines of voters not be allowed to interfere with nearby businesses.

The Ohio Attorney General rejected the first Referendum Petition because it sought to repeal only part of sections of the law. Accordingly, the new petition drive seeks to repeal HB 194 in its entirety.

Republican State Representative, Anne Gonzales, of Westerville, writing in The Columbus Dispatch defends House Bill 194, saying the bill “would modernize Ohio’s voting laws.”  She writes,

“Currently, Ohio’s election practices are not tailored to the modern, fast-paced world that we live in. Inconsistencies and outdated procedures cause problems during elections, miring them in inefficiencies and letting voter fraud go unchecked. …

Overall, the reforms will streamline the election experience, address incidences of fraud and increase the use of technology in elections. …

House Bill 194 directs much of its attention to revising the use of provisional and absentee ballots. To better organize provisional and absentee voting, the bill would amend the verification process for these ballots and implement statewide standards for absentee voting. Additionally, it would reduce the number of reasons that require an individual to vote provisionally. By clarifying the procedures governing absentee and provisional ballots, we can improve accountability and help Ohioans to feel even better about the election process. …

In terms of technological updates, House Bill 194 would allow voters to change their addresses online, making this task quick and convenient Furthermore, the legislation would approve the development of a top-down voter-registration database. This system would authorize the use and certification of electronic poll books, increase the accuracy of the rolls, pinpoint poll-worker error and ensure uniformity among absentee ballots, locations and time periods.

The measures developed in House Bill 194 would make long-overdue changes to Ohio’s voting laws that are crucial if we are to conduct our elections honestly. Here in the Buckeye state, we have a tradition of fair and effective elections. I would like to see this tradition continue, and with House Bill 194, we can restore the integrity that has long been associated with Ohio’s electoral process.”

One big reason our fractured society finds it difficult to arrive at the consensus needed to address big problems is that there is a disagreement about basic facts, a big disagreement about what constitutes reality. The dispute over basic facts is particularly obvious on matters of science, particularly with disagreement with the scientific community’s findings concerning global warming. Many of the deniers of science have coalesced within the newly formed “Tea Party.”

The chart below shows meteorological readings over the last 120 years that shows global warming is real. Yet there are thousands of people who dispute this basic fact.

A Yale University study, “Politics and Global Warming,” published earlier this year, based on in-depth interviews with 809 people shows a big division among political groups: “Majorities of Democrats (78%), Independents (71%) and Republicans (53%) believe that global warming is happening. By contrast, only 34 percent of Tea Party members believe global warming is happening, while 53 percent say it is not happening.”

Of course, if you don’t think global warming is happening, you have no reason to think there is any danger that global warming will lead to any harm:

Nearly half of Democrats (45%) say that global warming is already harming people in the United States, while 33 percent of Republicans and 51 percent of Tea Party members say it will never harm people in the United States.

The big question, if global warming is real, then, what is causing global warming?

While 62 percent of Democrats say that global warming is caused mostly by human activities, most Tea Party members say it is either naturally caused (50%) or isn’t happening at all (21%).

Other Findings of the Yale Study:

• A majority of Democrats (55%) say that most scientists think global warming is happening, while majorities of Republicans (56%) and Tea Party members (69%) say that there is a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether or not global warming is happening.
• A large majority of Democrats (72%) worry about global warming, compared to 53 percent of Independents, 38 percent of Republicans, and 24 percent of Tea Party members. Over half (51%) of Tea Party members say they are not at all worried about global warming.
• Tea Party members are much more likely to say that they are “very well informed” about global warming than the other groups. Likewise, they are also much more likely to say they “do not need any more information” about global warming to make up their mind.
• Majorities of Democrats, Independents and Republicans support requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20% of their electricity from renewable energy sources, even if it cost the average household an extra $100 a year. A majority of Tea Party members, however, oppose this policy, with 39 percent strongly opposed.
• Likewise, majorities of Democrats, Independents and Republicans support an international treaty to cut carbon dioxide emissions. A large majority of Tea Party members, however, oppose a treaty, with 55 percent strongly opposed.
• Majorities of Democrats and Independents support paying 5% more on their monthly utility bill to get their electricity from renewable sources, changing zoning rules to promote energy efficient apartment buildings, mixed use neighborhoods to encourage walking, and decreasing suburban sprawl. Majorities of Republicans and Tea Party members oppose these local policies, with Tea Party members much more likely to strongly oppose them.
• Tea Party members are more than twice as likely than any other group to say they don’t want to change the light bulbs in their house to energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs).
• Democrats are more likely to believe that human beings evolved from earlier species of animals (62%), compared to Independents (57%), Republicans (51%), and Tea Party members (34%).

See related posts:

• The Gaia Theory: The Earth Has A Fever — Climate Change Will Cause The Death Of Billions Of Humans, posted on August 25th, 2011
• 97.5% Of Climatologists Blame Global Warming On “Human Activity,” posted on May 19th, 2010
• The Truth About Energy/Climate: Sponsored by the Dayton Tea Party, posted on January 16th, 2010

The laughter of Republican congressman last night during President Obama’s speech seemed spontaneous. It didn’t sound to me like a laughter of derision, but honest laughter. What makes us laugh, sometimes, is a sudden revelation of the truth. The universe is a pretty funny place. We laugh at words that tell it like it is.

After pointing out that “Warren Buffet pays a lower tax rate than his secretary – an outrage he has asked us to fix,” Obama proceeded to outline a truth that made the Republicans laugh:

Should we keep tax loopholes for oil companies? Or should we use that money to give small business owners a tax credit when they hire new workers? Because we can’t afford to do both. Should we keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires? Or should we put teachers back to work so our kids can graduate ready for college and good jobs? Right now, we can’t afford to do both.

This isn’t political grandstanding. This isn’t class warfare. This is simple math. These are real choices that we have to make. And I’m pretty sure I know what most Americans would choose. It’s not even close. And it’s time for us to do what’s right for our future.

It’s the truth we don’t want to admit that makes us laugh. Maybe Obama’s “simple math,” and the Republican’s refusal to deal with its reality, will be what makes the difference in the 2012 election.