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Early Voting Is Open in Ohio
By Kirstin Alvanitakis,
Communications Director Ohio Democratic Party
Guest Column
It’s election season in
Ohio! Early in-person voting is open in all 88 counties, and
those who have requested their vote-by-mail ballots should
be receiving them soon.
Despite Donald Trump’s attempts to bully his way through
this election, Ohioans will not be deterred or dissuaded
from voting. More than 2 million Ohioans have already
requested a vote-by-mail ballot, and we’re seeing historic
early voting numbers. We are joining together, Black and
white, young and old, to turn out in record numbers during
this election season.
There are so many important races on the ballot in 2020. At
the top of the ticket, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are
running to restore the soul of this nation. We can count on
them to stand with us and bring about the changes we need to
address racial inequality in this country and in our
communities.
We have seen firsthand over the past year that racism is a
public health crisis. Black communities have been hit hard
by the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic
recession. We need Joe and Kamala in the White House, so
that we can defeat the coronavirus and build back better.
But it’s not just the top of the ticket that’s important for
Black Ohioans. We need allies at every level of government,
and we need representatives that understand our community.
For certain contests -- judicial and state School Board
races -- you won’t see a partisan affiliation on your
ballot. That’s why it’s helpful to get a Democratic “sample
ballot” before you go to the polls or fill out your
vote-by-mail ballot. You can check out MakeItCountOhio.com
to find a list of Democratic candidates for
[Cuyahoga/Hamilton/Mahoning/Lucas/Summit] County.
Ohio has two statewide races in 2020, and they will have a
big impact on our state’s future. In 2018, Ohio Democrats
won two races for the Ohio Supreme Court and elected Justice
Michael P. Donnelly and Justice Melody Stewart, the first
Black woman to win a seat on the state’s highest court. In
2020, Ohio Democrats have the opportunity to win two more
seats and take a 4-3 majority on the court.
We need our courts to protect victims, be fair and remain
impartial. Unfortunately, Justice Judi French and Justice
Sharon Kennedy have fallen short. First, they sided with
payday lenders over regular Ohioans, ignoring protections
created after the 2008 financial crisis that devastated so
many Black neighborhoods. Then they rewrote the rules to
increase contribution limits from special interests, and
promptly cashed in, raising more than $1 million for their
campaigns.
Finally, they have both ruled against child abuse and sexual
assault victims, denying them their day in court and the
full measure of justice. They denied mercy to a child human
trafficking victim.
We need new Supreme Court justices to protect victims and
stay fair and independent. Judge John P. O’Donnell and Judge
Jennifer Brunner will be those independent voices for Ohio
families.
In 2020, vote for Biden-Harris for president and vice
president and O’Donnell and Brunner for Ohio Supreme Court.
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