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REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS DISREGARD THE WILL OF OHIO VOTERS: REJECT AMENDMENT TO RESTORE FINAL WEEKEND VOTING

2012-05-09T13:38:53Z

The following statement may be attributed in whole or in part to Greg Moore, Campaign Director of Fair Elections Ohio, regarding today’s vote by the Ohio House on S.B. 295 (to repeal H.B. 194):

"Fair Elections Ohio is disappointed that the Ohio House of Representatives has decided to disregard the will of Ohio voters by electing to forgo a full repeal of HB 194. Partisan games trumped an opportunity to roll back Ohio's newest voter suppression law as leaders in the Republican-led Ohio House of Representatives chose to vote down a Democratic sponsored amendment to restore weekend voting. This deliberate disregard of fair play sealed the fate of a full repeal and ignored 500,000 voters who were opposed to HB 194. For all the debate about keeping SB 295 a clean bill for constitutional reasons, we now know the real position of the legislative majority as articulated by State Representative Louis Blessing, who stated that voters don't really matter when it comes to partisan gain: "It doesn't matter what the people do." When legislative leaders begin to place their own partisan political desires above the will of the people, it is a step backward to the days of Tammany Hall. When that attitude is displayed about voting rights, it's an unfortunate step back into a U.S. voting history that no one forgets and for which federal remedies are still enforced in other states.

Fair Elections Ohio cleared a path to a reasonable and peaceable resolution to achieving the ends of its referendum. With today's blatant disrespect of Ohio voters, the state now runs the risk of disenfranchising upwards of 100,000 voters who have traditionally voted during the last three days of Early Voting. With fervent and renewed support from our allies and voters, we will continue our fight for a true repeal of HB 194 and fight to preserve the right of a 'people's veto' for Ohio voters."

Bishop Timothy Clarke Provides A Moral Voice To Stop Voter Suppression

2012-05-04T19:40:24Z

Bishop Timothy J. Clarke, the visionary leader and Senior Pastor of First Church of God in Columbus gives a statement encouraging Ohio lawmakers not to block access to the polls by way of legislation.

Watch It:

Religous Leaders And Voters Call For Restoring Voting Saturday, Sunday And Monday Before Election

2012-05-04T18:06:08Z

COLUMBUS: Religious leaders joined voters today in calling on state lawmakers to reopen the voting booths on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before Election Day in November.

"This is a voting rights, a civil rights and a moral issue. Our vote is sacred. In 2008, an estimated 93,000 voters cast their ballots on the three days right before Election Day," said Rev. Timothy C. Ahrens of the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in downtown Columbus. "Politicians need to stop playing games and restore all voting opportunities to Ohioans."

Tasha Jones, a Columbus mother of four who has two jobs and works on Election Day at a voting precinct, said in 2008 she drove fellow church members to vote on the Sunday before the election.

"So many people have died fighting for their right to vote. They were beaten, thrown in jail. I don't take my right to vote lightly. I want to be able to vote early on the final weekend in person," Jones said.

Rev. Dr. Susan K. Smith, senior pastor of Advent United Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio, said voters should have easier access to the polls.

"I talk to folks all the time in my congregation. Many are working 2 jobs or more, juggling their lives, taking care of their children. These folks want to vote. African-Americans fought long and hard to get the right to vote; nobody, especially lawmakers, should deny them their right to vote," Rev. Smith said.

Andrew Lin, a junior majoring in sociology at The Ohio State University, said more students would vote, but they are often tied up in class on Election Day Tuesdays.

"I'm from Powell and it would be great to be able to drive home on the weekend before Election Day to vote. I think you would see increased voting numbers among students and younger people if they restored those voting days," Lin said

Bishop Timothy Clarke of First Church of God delivered a statement via video (http://youtu.be/Um5DQAGuS64), adding "the rights of every voter in the state of Ohio must not only be guarded but must be secured against anyone who would seek by any means to suppress them, to deny them, or to stop them from exercising their legal, constitutional rights as citizens."

"Adding the voices of clergy and people of faith to this issue will hopefully make a difference when members of the legislature reconvene on Tuesday to consider the final passage of SB 295," said Greg Moore, Fair Elections Ohio Campaign Director. "The restoration of the last three days of early voting is a simple request that we hope members on both sides of the aisle can fully embrace."

STATEMENT OF FAIR ELECTIONS OHIO ON POLL WORKER ERROR LAWSUIT

2012-04-23T11:14:34Z

"This lawsuit is nothing more than a bootstrap effort to try to achieve what legislative leaders have been unable to accomplish in trying to repeal HB 194, the law that hurts Ohio voting rights. Certain provisions of HB 194, if allowed to become law, would absolve poll worker error in favor of not counting provisional ballots. Ohio legislators are essentially asking the Ohio Supreme Court to tell the Secretary of State that he does not have to follow a federal court decision about poll worker error. HB 194, if allowed to become law, would specify that a poll worker does not have to tell a voter they are in the wrong precinct.

The Ohio Supreme Court cannot tell a federal court what it must do on federal constitutional issues. This is an unfortunate and embarrassing moment for the State of Ohio and a waste of taxpayer dollars.

The Attorney General must, by law, represent both the Secretary of State and the General Assembly. Because he cannot do both, special counsel from a large Cincinnati law firm has been hired to push what appears to be a largely political agenda on behalf of the legislature. Ironically, Ohio taxpayers will be asked to pay the same law firm for this effort that fought against voters' rights in a Sixth Circuit case (See, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless v. Blackwell, Case No. 2:06-cv-00896 in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio) where that court was clear that the Ohio Supreme Court should not interfere with federally decided voting rights.

If the efforts now being waged had instead been used to craft an election bill in HB 194 that was fair to all, Ohioans would not see their taxpayer dollars going to waste or the fairness of their election system being challenged."

Fair Elections Ohio Statement on Senate & HB 194 Repeal

2012-03-30T13:29:23Z

"Once again the Republican-controlled Senate continues to play games with
the voting rights of Ohio voters. Instead of taking the opportunity to pass
a true repeal of both HB 194 and the provisions of HB 224 that eliminated
weekend voting, the Senate chose instead to codify this prohibition with the
passage of HB 295. By voting down a Democratic sponsored amendment in
committee (and on the Senate Floor) they missed the chance to fully repeal
HB 194 and restore the full early voting rights to Ohio voters.

The passage of SB 295 will return Ohio's elections to the days of long lines
on Election Day and voter confusion. Most importantly SB 295 is an attempt
by the legislature to remove the referendum from the ballot and take away an
important constitutional right of voters to have the final say on the issue
this November.

Voting rights and the right to vote on constitutional referenda are not
pawns in a chess game. Both H.B. 194 and now SB 295 as passed by the Senate
are harmful laws that curtail and not expand Ohioans'
voting rights. We urge the House to reject this approach and restore the
full voting rights to voters when they take this bill up in the coming
weeks.

"H.B. 194 has been out of the hands of the legislature since the governor
signed it in July 2011. It has been certified by the Secretary of State for
a November 6th referendum vote for more than three months. It is
discouraging to watch our state legislature waste the public's time and
money debating how it can prevent Ohio voters from having their say on H.B.
194.

"The failure of the legislature in S.B. 295 to restore Ohio's election laws
to what they were before the passage of H.B. 194 demonstrates a motive that
rests more in politics than in policy. If the legislature is truly
interested in restoring voting rights, it would repeal the provisions of
H.B. 224 that were adopted to correct parts of H.B. 194 related to weekend
voting."

Fair Elections Ohio Statement On Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee And HB 194 Repeal

2012-03-21T20:22:25Z

Greg Moore, Campaign Director of Fair Elections Ohio, issued the following statement regarding the Ohio Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee declining to take action today on S.B. 295 (to repeal H.B. 194):

"We are pleased that the Republican-controlled Senate continues to hesitate in taking action to repeal H.B. 194, a harmful law that curtails Ohioans' voting rights. H.B. 194 has has been out of the hands of the legislature since the governor signed it in July 2011. It has been certified by the Secretary of State for a November 6th referendum vote for more than three months.

"While it is encouraging that dialogue in Columbus is no longer about defending a law that hurts voters, it is discouraging to watch our state legislature waste the public's time and money debating how it can prevent Ohio voters from having their say on H.B. 194.

"The failure of the legislature in S.B. 295 to restore Ohio's election laws to what they were before the passage of H.B. 194 demonstrates a motive that rests more in politics than in policy. If the legislature is truly interested in restoring voting rights, it would repeal the provisions of H.B. 224 that were adopted to correct parts of H.B. 194 related to weekend voting."

On Eve of Primary Election, Fair Elections Ohio Highlights Attacks on Voting Rights

2012-03-05T18:20:32Z

Broad Coalition of Ohioans Will Overturn HB194 and Preserve Our Right to Vote

COLUMBUS, OH - Following polling released last week showing a strong 23 point swing of voters in favor of HB194 Repeal, Fair Elections Ohio updated the press on the continuing campaign to repeal HB194 with a Citizen's Veto. FEO's campaign is getting national media attention and gaining strong support from a growing national coalition to fight back on this misguided voter suppression bill.

The following statement can be attributed to Greg Moore, Campaign Director for Fair Elections Ohio:

"Yesterday marked the 47th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March. Civil rights and voting rights groups from around the county are participating in weeklong activities to highlight this struggle for voting rights. A key component of this year's commemoration is the recommitment of the civil rights community to the battle against voter suppression efforts that are taking place in over 34 states across the US. Unfortunately the state of Ohio is one of those key states where this battle is still being waged.

Last year, despite the strong objections of civil rights, voting rights, good government and civic organizations, the Republican Controlled legislature passed HB 194 along strictly partisan lines with provisions that were clearly designed to limit and not expand the voting rights of the citizens of Ohio.

In response to their actions, Fair Elections Ohio waged a successful campaign that mobilized over half a million voters across the state who sent a clear message to Ohio Legislature that they rejected any effort that would restrict their access to the ballot. Ohio became the first state in the nation to successfully halt the implementation of a voter suppression law."

Jennifer Brunner, Co-Chair of Fair Elections Ohio and Former Ohio Secretary of State, continued:

"Over these past few weeks we have reached out to our friends and allies in the faith base, labor, civil rights and voting rights community in Washington, DC at the national level and other allied partners across the state. Our efforts last year have helped to energize this fight against voter suppression across the county. Most importantly these allies have joined with us in urging the Ohio legislature to resist any efforts to enact "repeal and replace" legislation that would impose some of the same restrictions contained in HB 194.

Fair Elections Ohio and our allies across the state have met all the necessary requirements to have this issued placed before voters in a "citizens' veto" referendum this November. We will continue to resist any attempts to remove that opportunity from them by either the legislature or the Secretary of State. We applaud those legislators in the Assembly who have come to the conclusion that the passage of HB 194 last year was a mistake and should be repealed. And we welcome the healthy discussion and dialogue on a number of non-controversial measures in next year's legislative session that can help improve the administration of elections.

But we reject any attempt to try and make adjustments to the current existing laws that voters will be voting under in tomorrow's Primary Election. The door on ruling making for this year's election has already closed. These laws should remain in place through the November 6, 2012 election to avoid confusing the voters or creating uncertainty among election officials and poll workers being trained for this fall's elections."

Petee Talley, Secretary Treasurer of the Ohio AFL-CIO, added:

"Current Secretary of State Jon Husted has recently commented on election costs but there has been no comment nor commitment from the Secretary's office to educate voters on any potential legislative changes to voting rules before November.

Organized Labor stands with Fair Elections Ohio to fight for all Ohioans' right to vote. Statehouse Legislators and Secretary of State Husted would better serve their constituents by leaving the current laws in place before HB194, and allow Ohioans to vote under election rules they know and have been voting by"

Fair Elections Ohio Releases HB194 Poll Results

2012-02-21T16:34:48Z

Ohio Voters Support Repealing HB194 by a 23 Point Margin

COLUMBUS, OH – Leaders from Fair Elections Ohio and Bob Meadow Phd., Partner at Lake Research Partners held a press call on Tuesday morning to discuss the latest poll results from recent statewide polling on the HB194 referendum.

Greg Moore, Campaign Director for Fair Elections Ohio, said, “Today’s polling data released by the Lake Research Partners clearly shows that the vast majority of voters from across the state in every region and demographic group are showing their support for our repeal efforts by 54-31%. Even among Republicans across the state the support for repeal is evenly split 43% for repeal and 44% against —a strong showing considering its passage along partisan lines last year.

This support mirrors the level of support Fair Elections Ohio and our allies discovered last summer during our petition drive that was carried out in every region of the state.

The support of the voters across the state was evident in both urban and rural counties. Clearly this is an issue that cuts across partisan lines. The voices of the voters are clear. They want the restoration of their full voting rights and they are prepared to repeal HB 194 at the ballot box this fall.“

Greg Moore added, “Ohioans elected our legislators to create a better future for our families and communities, not limit our constitutional right to participate in government. If the legislature and the Secretary of State choose to engage in politics and fight the will of the people, we are ready hit the streets and will have the strong support of voters across the state and across political parties.”

A complete copy of the Polling Memo from Lake Research Partners can be found here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/82301422/LRP-Memo-on-HB194-Repeal

Fair Elections Ohio Pledges to Fight Any Attempt to "Repeal and Replace" HB194

2012-02-09T17:42:15Z

Will Take Action to Stop End-Run Around Citizen Referendum

COLUMBUS, OH - Greg Moore, Campaign Director of Fair Elections Ohio, issued the following points at a Press Conference this morning:

Fair Elections Ohio supports the call by Secretary of State Husted for the legislature to repeal HB194 but strongly opposes any attempt to re-enact any provisions of HB194 without the people voting first.
Our repeal effort has achieved consistent election procedures for Ohioans in 2012, allowing voters to utilize nearly the same rules as were in place in the last presidential election.
If the legislature repeals and replaces HB194 with any new voting rules, especially regarding absentee and provisional voting, Ohioans would be voting under different rules in the Primary and General, inevitably leading to greater voter confusion and disenfranchisement.
For 2012, the time for legislative changes to our voting laws is over, and election officials and Ohio voters deserve to know the rules well in advance to promote access to fair elections.
Any attempt to put the provisions of HB194 in place before this year's general election is nothing more than a "sleight of hand" to thwart the state constitutional referendum process and silence the voices of half a million voters who signed the HB194 Citizen Veto petition.
Stopping HB194 with a Citizens Veto has already preserved our ability to vote. Ohioans are currently voting early for the March 6 primary. If HB194 was in effect, these Ohioans would not be able to exercise the choice to vote early until next week, diminishing access to voting and creating the potential for long lines at the polls, especially in this year's contested Republican Presidential primary election.
Fair Elections Ohio's efforts are and will continue to be focused on access to fair elections for every eligible voter, improving participation and protecting the rights of Ohio voters to exercise their constitutional right to a citizens' veto.
Fair Elections Ohio believes no election laws should change at this time, and HB 194 should remain a question for the voters to decide.
If the legislature chooses to re-enact the provisions of HB194 before the 2012 election, Fair Elections Ohio and our allies across the state are prepared to collect enough signatures to once again stop this attempt to limit voting in Ohio.
In 2011, Fair Elections Ohio collected half a million signatures to repeal HB194 at the height of the SB5/Issue 2 battle. This time, we will not only have our original coalition of faith, civil rights and communty based organizations. Additionally, we will have the full support and focus of a labor movement fresh off its victory in defeating SB5/issue 2.
There is an energized base that will act with purpose and intention to protect Ohioans from political maneuvers to prohibit their right to determine by what laws they will be governed, a right reserved to them by our state constitution.

Fair Elections Ohio Statement on Possible 'Repeal and Replace' of HB194 by the Ohio Legislature

2012-01-30T18:06:12Z

"The recent suggestion of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted that the Ohio General Assembly should repeal House Bill 194 has ignited several debates including whether it can actually be done while a referendum on the measure is pending.

While Fair Elections Ohio appreciates Secretary Husted's suggestion that HB 194 should be repealed, the apparent result seems to be a desire by some members of the legislature to substitute other changes before the November 2012 general election. This will create more confusion than good.

Fair Elections Ohio urges no changes to Ohio's election laws in 2012, especially between the primary and the general elections. Our repeal effort has achieved consistent election procedures for Ohioans in 2012, allowing voters to utilize nearly the same rules as were in place in the last presidential election.

While the Ohio House and the Senate agreed to previous compromises with the assistance of former Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in 2010, they failed to become law when there was time to implement them. For 2012, the time for compromise has passed, and election officials and Ohio voters deserve to know the rules well in advance.

Fair Elections Ohio respectfully suggests the best thing for the Secretary to do is to execute his duties to educate the public about the current rules governing elections. The law specifically requires that he "Conduct voter education outlining voter identification, absent voters ballot, provisional ballot, and other voting requirements." (R.C. 3501.05(Z)

Fair Elections Ohio's efforts are and will continue to be focused on increasing voter participation and to protect the rights of every Ohio voter to access and fair elections. For this reason Fair Elections Ohio believes no election laws should change at this time, and HB 194 should remain a question for the voters to decide.