( CNN ) -- As a longtime political operative , I know firsthand how a vote here or a vote there can make a huge difference in a close election . And as Vice President Al Gore 's former campaign manager , I understand the impact U.S. Supreme Court decisions can have on electoral outcomes . These two reasons are why I 'm outraged by what 's going on in Ohio . This week , the Supreme Court , on the eve of early voting , ruled that efforts by Ohio Republicans to restrict early voting days were acceptable . This gets rid of what 's called the Golden Week in Ohio -- the period when voters can register and cast their ballot at the same time . It ended convenient voting hours , when Ohioans could vote after a long day at work -- as late as 9 p.m . It also ended voting on one of the two Sundays before Election Day when many folks head to their polling place after church . These have been hallmarks of the Ohio voting system , but the Supreme Court and Republicans have yet again changed the rules in the middle of the game -- all to create barriers between people and the ballot box . And unfortunately it 's not just Ohio where Republicans have doggedly tried to restrict or cut early voting days or hours . In Wisconsin , Gov . Scott Walker and the GOP have reduced and limited the early voting period , including weekend voting . In North Carolina , the Republican governor and legislature took away a week of early voting . And in Georgia , a GOP legislator lamented a county 's move to expand early voting , saying he would `` prefer more educated voters '' over black early voters . Think this does n't have any real impact ? Think again . In 2012 , a third of voters cast a ballot before Election Day , in person or by mail -- more than double the rate during the 2000 election . All told , more than 18 million voters cast an early in-person ballot when President Obama was re-elected . Voting should n't be a challenge . It should be as easy and accessible as possible . We should n't require forms of ID that folks do n't have , we should n't restrict days or hours that allow working people a chance to both do their job and exercise their democratic right , and we damn well should n't be throwing up new obstacles midstream . When obstacles are thrown up , we should have protections for voters . That 's why I was so frustrated when the Supreme Court last summer gutted the Voting Rights Act in Shelby v. Holder . The Supreme Court ruled that there 's no need for national oversight when localities and states with a history of racially discriminatory voting laws make voting rule changes . I 'm not alone with my frustration . A recent poll from Lake Research and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights found that nationally , 69 % of the American public favors restoring the VRA , with only 10 % opposing . Voters of both parties , all races , and every region across the country favor a congressional proposal to restore the Voting Rights Act . I 'm hopeful that Republicans and Democrats will , in the lame duck session after the 2014 elections or in the beginning of the next session of Congress , hammer out legislation that restores oversight and protects voters . As Democrats , we believe in giving every eligible citizen the opportunity to vote -- whether it 's early because they ca n't take off work on Election Day or absentee because they might have plans to be out of town . And we believe this for two reasons . First , when more people vote , Democrats win . That 's because more Americans agree with us on the big issues and the big questions -- like who 's got my back ? But second , it 's because our democracy is better when more people have skin in the game . Our democracy relies on participation and we 've never done better by excluding folks . If there 's one thing we can count on , it 's that the GOP is going to continue to come up with last minute schemes to make it more complicated , more confusing , or just plain more difficult for honest , hardworking citizens to vote on Election Day or before . It 's up to us to stop them .
Supreme Court ruled Ohio could restrict early voting ; other GOP states have also done it . Donna Brazile : Court ruling also ends convenient hours that help working people vote . Brazile : Early voting is a way for the rich to get out of their cars and go vote. Brazile : Democracy relies on participation ; we 've never done better by excluding folks .