Odds and ends from the world of politics in Trumbull and Mahoning counties, and from the Time Warner Arena in Charlotte, N.C.:
Mahoning County's three Democrat commissioners issued a news release Wednesday applauding a federal court judge's decision to restore early in-person voting during the final three days before Election Day in Ohio.
It says since early voting began in 2006, Mahoning County has budgeted for early voting, including on the last three days before the election ''to protect its citizens' right to exercise their constitutional right to vote.''
It continues to say commissioners look forward to Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted reversing his decision to not permit early voting on weekends in October. The extra hours, the release states, ''will allow for increased access to the ballot'' for voters in Mahoning County.
Husted issued a directive to create uniform early voting hours for all 88 elections boards in Ohio. Not included were hours for weekend voting or voting those last three days before the Nov. 6 election.
The directive was challenged in court by President Barack Obama's campaign, which won a ruling by the judge to restore early in-person voting those final three days.
Husted resisted the court order and issued another directive after the court ruling prohibiting boards of elections from setting voting hours.
That was until late Friday afternoon, when Husted rescinded the order prohibiting board of elections from setting hours the last three days before the election.
Ohio, like it did at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. two weeks ago, had a prime spot at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., last week.
Although the Buckeye State was well positioned, Democrat state Rep. Tom Letson's seat was not.
The seat assigned to Letson, a delegate for Obama, in section 112 was crowded by the pole that held the state's name. The sign stuck out over his seat, making it difficult for Letson to stand, which required him to scoot into the aisle first and then up.
''For met to get up, it took extra, extra, extra effort,'' he said.
Ohio, especially the Mahoning Valley, was very well represented in Charlotte.
Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. representative from the valley, one of the 50 national co-chairs for the president's campaign, spoke on day one, Tuesday, of the convention.
Also Tuesday, Elaine Brye, a military mom from Columbiana County, introduced first-lady Michelle Obama and Wednesday Brye and her husband, Courtney, were guests in the first lady's box. The Bryes are parents of four military members in four different branches.
On Wednesday, Karen Eusanio of Hubbard, a second generation auto worker at the General Motors Complex in Lordstown, made brief remarks praising Obama for rescuing the automobile industry with bailout loans.
A mother of three, Eusanio and her children also were part of a short video that rolled before her speech.
In it, she said, she and her children ''hugged and I screamed and we all danced around like fools, saying mommy's going back to work,'' when they learned of the president's decision to bailout the industry.
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