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Voters’ Rights
Sojourner’s Truth Staff
Local elected officials,
union representatives and religious leaders spoke out about
their concerns over a dismal voter turnout in recent
elections and attempts by the Republican majority in the
Ohio General Assembly to further tamp down voter turnout.
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At a news conference on
Thursday last week, State Rep. Michael Ashford led a group
of local leaders who are focused on garnering enough
signatures to place a constitutional amendment – a “voters’
bill of rights” – on November’s ballot.
According to Ashford, the
campaign needs to generate about 40,000 signatures in Lucas
County. Ashford assailed recent GOP efforts to change early
voting laws and eliminate Sunday voting, the “Golden Week” –
a six-day period when people can register and vote in the
same visit – and cut back days and hours of the early voting
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“Republican politicians in
Columbus have helped implement some of the worst voter
disenfranchisement bills since the 1960’s,” said Ashford.
The General Assembly this
year has passed Senate Bill 205, which increases the number
of items of identifying information for absentee voters;
Senate Bill 216, which increases the information absentee
voters must provide and Senate Bill 238 eliminating Golden
Week and reducing the early voting time frame from 35 to 29
days.
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A. Philip Randolph Institute's Andre Washington, State Rep.
Alicia Reece, Laborers Local 500 David Fleetwood |
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The statewide effort to
establish an amendment to the Constitution is being led by
State Rep. Alicia Reece, also the Ohio Legislative Black
Caucus president. Reece visited Toledo on Saturday to take
part in a rally at Laborers Local 500 Hall on Ashland
Avenue.
This month’s primary
turnout in Lucas County was less than 10 percent of eligible
voters. During Thursday’s news conference, Councilwoman
Lindsay Webb attributed the low turnout, in part, to the
“chilling effects” of recent legislation. “Election rules
should be immutable,” said Webb. “They should not be subject
to the whim and will of the Secretary of State.”
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Copyright © 2014 by [The Sojourner's Truth]. All rights reserved.
Revised:
08/16/18 14:12:32 -0700. |
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