Bernie Sanders is suing Ohio's secretary of state

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published 9 March 2016

Just a week ahead of the Buckeye State's March 15 presidential primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders filed a lawsuit against Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted over his decision to not allow 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the time of the general election to vote in the primary. In the lawsuit filed Tuesday, Sanders alleges that Husted changed the law and that he is "arbitrarily" discriminating against young black and Latino voters.

"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," Sanders said in a statement. The New York Times reports that there are at least 20 states that allow 17-year-olds to participate in presidential primaries or caucuses if they will be 18 by Election Day. However, Husted decided in December that, according to state law, 17-year-olds could vote in nominating contests but not in elections, which ruled out the presidential primary since voters are electing delegates to party conventions.

Husted maintains that he has not changed any rules, nor that he has done anything unconstitutional. "I welcome this lawsuit," Husted said in a statement, "and I am very happy to be sued on this issue because the law is crystal clear."