Partner Spotlight: OhioVOTES

OhioVOTES, a project of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO), is hosting three voter engagement trainings in September. Ohio nonprofits are invited to either Cleveland, Columbus, or Cincinnati to learn how to mobilize and motivate your staff, board, volunteers, and the people your organization serves.

The trainings are free and will cover voter engagement guidelines for 501(c)(3) organizations, ideas for educating and motivating your community, and the latest election laws in Ohio. Nonprofit executives, board members, program staff, and volunteers are all encouraged to attend and CEU credits are available.

If you're a nonprofit in Ohio--or know one--register now for a September training in the city closest to you! OhioVOTES is a nonpartisan voter participation initiative that supports and expands the ability of nonprofits to get people involved in and excited about voting.

Ohio Election Law Suspended

A controversial Ohio election law (HB 194) set to take effect on Friday has been suspended, pending the outcome of a November 2012 referendum.

If implemented, the law would prohibit counties from mailing out unsolicited absentee ballot applications, end the "golden week" when people can register to vote and cast a ballot on the same day, and reduce the number of early voting days.

Opponents of HB 194 gathered 318,460 petition signatures in support of a referendum to overturn the law. 231,147 of the signatures must be verified in order for the law to remain suspended and for the issue to be placed before voters in 2012. Secretary of State Jon Husted said the verification process will not be completed before this fall's election.

In other good news, as the law has been suspended, early voting for the November 8 election begins today. Happy Election Day Buckeyes!

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I Did it All for the Sticker

A recent electionline article "Stuck on you" sought to explain the appeal of "I Voted" stickers.

Apparently the history of the "I Voted" sticker is unclear, although some historians argue that they were introduced in the 1980s and ElectionStickers.com claims to be the purveyor of the original "I Voted" sticker.

Nevertheless, the sticker has become a cultural icon, and is a badge worn proudly. Capitalizing on Election Day press, a number of companies have used the sticker to increase foot traffic by offering freebies and promotions to voters. Of course, due to regulations that prohibit payments when federal candidates are on the ballot, most of these offers are ultimately available to any individual—whether or not they voted.

Despite the sticker's traditional appeal, the Ohio secretary of state's office recently sought to change things up with an "Elect Your Sticker!" contest. 60,000 people voted and the winning sticker (seen above) will make its polling place debut this November.

While some counties are eliminating the stickers to save costs, others are making sure that all voters have them, including those who vote via absentee ballots. Despite being a vote-by-mail county, Pierce County includes stickers in Voters' Pamphlets and encouraged voters to wear them and "remind everyone of this important civic duty."

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Ohio Rejects Voter ID Requirements

Although a number of states have enacted photo ID laws since January--Alabama, Kansas, Rhode Island (after days of confusion), South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, and Wisconsin--not everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. Governors have vetoed voter ID laws in Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Minnesota.

Ohio is the latest of Nonprofit VOTE's partner states to reject voter ID laws that would mandate photo ID, despite the fact that many--particularly older and younger voters--don't have one. Earlier this summer, a voter ID provision was removed from election legislation in Ohio at the behest of Secretary of State Jon Husted who said that the "rigid" photo ID provision "does little to protect against fraud and excludes legally registered voters' ballots from counting." And two weeks ago, an Ohio House leader acknowledged that a separate attempt to pass voter ID legislation also failed.

Although asking voters to show a photo ID may be a reasonable requirement in the long run, the rapid implementation of such laws is troublesome. It is essential that state governments first ensure all eligible voters have free photo IDs before making them a requirement to vote, particularly because the financial barrier is just one obstacle. Voters must still invest time and other resources into acquiring identification--consider how long your last trip to the DMV was--which many simply cannot afford to do, especially on short notice. Some states have started to make IDs available, but information about how to obtain one, as well as long lines have already thwarted some.

Track the status of voter ID laws in every state, and remember that as laws change, nonprofits can help ensure that their clients are aware of new requirements, and thus able to successfully cast their ballot on Election Day. Learn more about registering to vote and ID requirements in your state.


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Lax NVRA Compliance Leaves Void for Nonprofits to Fill

Last month, Project Vote and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed a complaint to force Louisiana into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), and ensure that low-income residents have the opportunity to register to vote. The suit follows in the wake of other successful complaints in both Ohio and Missouri where the number of voters registering at public agencies has ballooned. In Ohio in the first six months of 2010 more than 100,000 low-income residents registered to vote at public assistance offices. That number (17,000 applications per month) is almost a ten-fold increase in the number of registration applications public assistance offices collected before the lawsuit (1,775 per month).

Lawsuits are not always necessary to force compliance, however. Colorado officials worked proactively to bring the state into compliance with the NVRA and as a result, public agency registrations in Colorado increased from just over 3,300 in 2007 to nearly 44,000 in 2010.

While it is critical that public agencies fulfill their obligation to register voters, this alone is not enough. There is still a crucial role for nonprofits to play. Many nonprofit clients receive public assistance and when state agencies do not actively register these potential voters, nonprofits must ensure that their clients nevertheless have an opportunity to register to vote. Even in states that are fully compliant with the NVRA, many eligible voters will still be missed, including individuals served by your organization. Nonprofits can help close this gap by ensuring that your clients have the opportunity to register, participate, and make their voices heard. Get started today!

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Enforcing the Motor-Voter Law

The 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) was designed to increase participation in federal elections. As a provision, state motor vehicle offices began offering clients the opportunity to register to vote, and the law became widely known as the motor-voter law.

However, the law also requires public assistance offices to proactively register voters. Although many potential voters can be reached through DMV offices, agencies that administer food stamps, welfare, Medicaid, disability assistance and child health programs are able to target historically underrepresented populations, such as low-income individuals, people with disabilities, minority populations, and new military recruits. Unfortunately, enforcement among public assistance offices (until recently) has been lax.

That began to change last year with the settlement of a 2006 lawsuit--backed by voting rights groups--aimed at bringing Ohio into compliance with the NVRA.

The result of the case has been overwhelming: in the first six months of 2010, more than 100,000 low-income Ohio residents applied to register to vote at public assistance offices. That number (17,000 applications per month) is almost a ten-fold increase in the number of registration applications public assistance offices collected before the lawsuit (1,775 per month).

A similar lawsuit against Missouri was settled in July 2008 and since then, nearly 250,000 voter applications have been submitted through public assistance agencies in the state over the past two years.

On the national level, the Justice Department will also begin enforcing the public assistance section of the law. In April, the Justice Department sent states a set of guidelines, marking the first time in 15 years that the Justice Department has explained what kinds of offices are covered and what procedures are to be used.

This national push will hopefully register hundreds of thousands of additional, hard to reach voters; voting rights groups estimate that 2-3 million low-income Americans could be registered each year if all states complied with the NVRA.

Read more about the Ohio lawsuit here.

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Support for Jennifer Brunner - by Jocelyn Travis, OhioVOTES

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner worked diligently to prepare our state for the Nov. 4 presidential election by providing clear instructions to the boards of elections and addressing the concerns of citizens, advocate groups and organizations throughout Ohio. Whether fighting litigation that could disenfranchise citizens, educating voters on election processes and/or reaching out to a wide body of interested parties to incorporate ideas from all sources, she put in place the necessary elements for successful elections.

The Plain Dealer's Nov. 2 editorial, which compared Secretary Brunner to former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, is ridiculous. As firsthand witnesses of the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections and on the front lines of election integrity, I can state that there are vast differences between the two secretaries and their administrations. Blackwell chaired a presidential campaign for Ohio in addition to advocating for a ballot issue while serving as the chief election official in the state. Brunner held true to her campaign promise in 2006 not to support any candidate or issue and not to participate in any impropriety that could damage the reputation of an impartial administrator of Ohio elections. In addition, she put great resources into training county election officials, providing uniform instructions to our 88 boards and implementing the most comprehensive plan for standardized poll-worker training and development in the state's history.

The Plain Dealer suggests that a change in the structure of election operations is needed. It seems only logical that we should let the election be the arbiter of Brunner's work and not cast the office in a light that would seek to undermine voter confidence in the election.

Finally, Ohioans overwhelmingly voted in 2005 to keep the secretary of state an elected position that provides the necessary oversight for Ohio elections.

I feel strongly that Secretary Brunner did everything possible to ensure that our election ran smoothly on Nov. 4. Brunner, her staff and our local elections officials proved to the nation that we can have a presidential election that is fair, open and transparent. Confidence has been restored in the vote-counting process.

-Jocelyn Travis

Jocelyn Travis is the Director of OhioVOTES and a member of the Leadership Council for the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network.

Urban Ohio Turns Out in 2008

Although statewide numbers are still rolling in, an unofficial victory for urban Ohio: Columbus, historically a lower-than-average turnout area, saw a nearly 5% increase in registered voter turnout in this year, up from 53% in 2004 to 58% in 2008!

Cuyohoga County BOE at Festivals this Week

The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections expects a high voter turnout for the Nov. 4 presidential election and wants all voters to be prepared.
So, the CCBOE invites the public to attend voter education presentations throughout the county. The staff will answer questions about absentee voting, hand out Election Day poll worker applications, and provide general information about the services offered by the CCBOE. Read more.

Ohio 2008 Primary Report

Read OH Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's report on Ohio's 2008 Primary Election, which outlinesvoter turnout and election procedure improvements since 2004 and identifies the remaining problem areas to resolve for future elections. Recommendations include: clarifying voter ID requirements; improving voter registry accuracy; training poll workers more thoroughly, and more.

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