An Ohio resident checks in before voting early at the Lorain County Board of Elections. Early voting began this Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Ohio bill which shortened the early voting period in the state from 35 to 28 days. Shortening the early voting period eliminated “Golden Week,” the period of time when people can both register to vote and cast their ballots. “Early voting is about more than just convenience. Golden Week is the only time in Ohio in which voters can both register and vote on the same day. Normally, community organizations like churches will bus people to the polls during this week. That option was eliminated this year. Voting is a right, not a privilege, and it should be the goal of the state to facilitate the ability of as many people as possible to go vote, instead of using a thinly veiled excuse of ‘fraud prevention’ in order to disenfranchise demographics of people who tend to vote Democratic,” said Madeline Peltz, College junior and OC Democrats co-chair, in an email to the Review. In addition to the county, state and federal races, Oberlin residents will be voting on several local issues, including a tax levy renewal for the Oberlin Public Library and a Lorain County sales and use tax increase.