Testimony to wrap up in dispute over rules for ballots Posted on March 31, 2016 0 COLUMBUS (AP) — Testimony in a dispute that could impact how thousands of ballots are cast and counted in Ohio is wrapping up. At issue are several changes to the swing state’s requirements for absentee or provisional ballots enacted in 2014. The Ohio Democratic Party and advocates for the homeless are suing the state’s elections chief in Columbus federal court claiming the laws and the procedures for counting those ballots create new hurdles for voters, particularly minorities. Among other arguments, they allege that valid ballots are being wrongly rejected. The state’s attorneys say the challenged laws are reasonable, nondiscriminatory and impose a minimal burden on voters. U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley has heard testimony from county elections officials, election experts and others in a bench trial that began March 16. The trial is to wrap up today.
