Five Things You Can Do Right Now to Stand Up for Voting Rights
Ohio Republicans have been attacking voting rights for years, and a 5–4 decision Monday by the U.S. Supreme Court upheld our state’s aggressive voter purging policies, which have removed millions of lawfully registered voters from the rolls at the direction of our GOP secretary of state, Jon Husted.
This isn’t a defeat. It’s a call to action. Here’s what you can do to fight back:
1. Check your voter registration
First things first, check to see if you are registered to vote at your current address. If not, update your registration NOW. You can confirm or update your Ohio voter registration online, and it only takes two minutes.
The deadline to register to vote in the Aug. 7 special election for Ohio’s 12th Congressional District is Monday, July 9.
To vote in the 2018 general election, make sure you’re registered by Tuesday, Oct. 9.
BONUS: Encourage your friends and family to get registered or confirm their voter registration, too.
2. Support Kathleen Clyde
As a state representative and one of Ohio’s most pre-eminent experts on voting rights, Kathleen Clyde has been fighting against Husted’s shameful policies for years. As Ohio’s top elections official, she would protect Ohioans’ fundamental right to vote.
“Not only will I stop this overly aggressive purging as Ohio Secretary of State, I will put in place a policy that allows any voter who was purged in error to vote a regular ballot after affirming they were registered at a given address and remain a resident there,” Clyde said.
Spread the word about Kathleen’s campaign for Secretary of State now!
Click here to follow her on Twitter and give her a “like” on Facebook.
BONUS: If you’re in Ohio, you can sign up to volunteer. If you have a few bucks, click here to chip in.
3. Support Ohio Democrats up and down the ballot
Ohio Republicans keep trying to make it harder to vote. Ohio Democrats know that our democracy is stronger when more people participate, and we will fight for policies that remove obstacles to voting and make it more convenient.
“Voting rights are on the ballot with this November’s election, when Ohioans will choose their next governor, attorney general and state legislators, and specifically, when the voters elect our next secretary of state, they will be deciding whether or not to continue the shameful voter purging policies of Husted and Mike DeWine,” Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said.
The Campaign for Ohio is hard at work, recruiting volunteers to register voters and get out the vote in 2018. YOU can be a part of it — click here to find an upcoming Campaign for Ohio event near you.
4. Watch Joe Helle’s story
Joe Helle, mayor of Oak Harbor and candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives District 89, returned from serving overseas in the military in 2011 to find that he had been removed from the rolls.
Helle tried to vote in a local election, but poll workers told him they couldn’t find his name. A couple of months later, he tried to vote again, but he was told this time that his registration had been canceled after inactivity.
Watch Helle’s story here:
