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Governor Still Deciding What He'll Do With Bill To Keep Polls Open Late

Statehouse News Bureau
Governor John Kasich

Gov. John Kasich has not yet signed the legislation that would require the posting of a cash bond by those asking for court orders to keep polls open late. He’s not indicating whether he will.

Kasich says he doesn’t want a situation where judges order polls to be open late based on something that’s on social media. But when it comes to requiring a bond be put up to pay overtime costs before a judge could order polls to stay open late, like this bill requires, the Governor says he’s not sure that’s necessary.

“The judges today already have the authority to say that you have to post a bond but I don’t know if they know about it or have ever done it so is it unreasonable….because it’s in the law now….is it unreasonable to draw their attention to it now? You know I’m looking at it and I’m sort of undecided and I want to think about it a little bit longer.”

Kasich says if there’s a legitimate reason to keep polls open, he thinks voters should have that opportunity. He says he wishes lawmakers had consulted his office earlier in the process of drafting this bill.

Contact Jo Ingles at jingles@statehousenews.org.