Citizens United Decision, Judicial Selection Conference , What Ohio Newspapers are Saying about Judicial Selection, 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kelly Ceballos
February 3, 2010 202-263-1331

 To Listen to Testimony Click Here

“DOING NOTHING NOT AN OPTION"
CONGRESS MUST ACT QUICKLY IN AFTERMATH OF CITIZENS UNITED DECISION

Washington, D.C. – The League of Women Voters today testified before the Committee on House Administration in a hearing entitled Defining the Future of Campaign Finance in an Age of Supreme Court Activism. At the U.S. congressional hearing, Mary G. Wilson, the national League president, told committee members that they must pass legislation governing corporate and union spending quickly, in order for it to take effect for the 2010 elections.

“The Court’s majority decision in Citizens United v. FEC was fundamentally wrong and a tragic mistake. But this is the decision of the Court,” said Wilson. “Congress needs to respond now, recognizing its own authority and responsibility to uphold the Constitution. Fair and clean elections, determined by the votes of American citizens, should be at the center of our democracy.”

“The Court’s decision in Citizens United upends basic campaign finance law that has been in place for a century. It changes the foundation on which decades of congressional enactments on money in elections are built. Such a fundamental change requires a strong response from Congress and the Executive.”

The League supports numerous concepts moving forward in this post-Citizens United context; however, Wilson stressed the urgency in doing something now. “After Citizens United, we urgently need enhanced disclosure. This is the most basic step toward protecting the role of the voter in making decisions in elections,” stated Wilson. “It is now possible for corporations to secretly provide funds that another corporation uses to intervene in an election through independent expenditures. This is not acceptable. The League of Women Voters supports strong disclosure requirements for both those who receive election funds and those who provide such funds.”

“After providing enhanced disclosure, the next most important step for Congress is to do no further harm. A decision as far-reaching in its implications as Citizens United will provoke a number of proposals that, we believe, could make our election system and government processes even worse,” Wilson argued. “We need fair elections, not greater involvement of big money in elections and government. Each of these steps – such as altering contribution limits to candidates and PACs or allowing corporation and unions to once again donate huge sums to political parties – would increase corruption or the appearance of corruption and further distort our political processes.”

Wilson pointed to a number of other proposals – from new controls on foreign corporations to public financing – that Congress should consider in seeking to block corruption of American democracy.

Reporters may contact Kelly Ceballos (kceballos@lwv.org or 202-263-1331) to set up media interviews with President Mary Wilson.

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The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Several Ohio Newspapers have issued editorials or articles on the Forum on Judicial Selection being hosted by the League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund, The Ohio State Bar Association and Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court Thomas Moyer. To read what Ohio Newspapers are saying click on the links below

Cleveland Plain Dealer 1                              Columbus Dispatch
Cleveleand Plain Dealer 2                                       Dayton Daily News

For more information on the forum go to http://www.judicialselection.net/

As required by the 2009 Settlement Agreement in LWVO et al. v. Brunner, the League's lawsuit filed in 2005 to protect Ohioans' 14th amendment rights, the Secretary of State issued a report on August 24 regarding the feasibility of establishing a statewide maximum permissible wait time for voters on election day. The following press release was issued by The League of Women Voters of Ohio in response to that report.

Remember the 2004 presidential election when voters waited in line 4, 8 even up to 12 hours—many in the rain—to cast their ballots? This was one of the problems that earned Ohio the infamous mantle, "poster child of bad elections." Long waits on Election Day discourage—even disenfranchise—voters, as Ohioans well know from past elections.

The historic settlement agreement in LWVO et al. v. Brunner, reached this past June, therefore included a requirement that the Secretary of State issue a report by August 30, 2009, on the feasibility of establishing a statewide maximum permissible wait time for voters on Election Day. The agreement ended a four-year-old lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters of Ohio (LWVO) and 13 co-plaintiffs seeking to force the state to address multiple election-administration problems that for 30 years, election after election, prevented many Ohio voters from having the chance to vote in a fair election and from having their votes counted.

Today Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner issued her report assessing the causes for long wait times. She concluded it is not practical to establish a statewide maximum length of time beyond which voters should not have to wait to vote on Election Day. The report cites the varying conditions which different counties face, as well as the practical problem of how to enforce such a requirement.

The League of Women Voters of Ohio applauds Secretary Brunner for the report’s timeliness and its thorough research and assessment of the issues—and for her work to prevent long Election-Day wait times in 2008. We anticipate that the directives issued in 2008 addressing the issue will continue in effect, but believe that there are additional steps which must be taken.

While it may be impractical to establish a statewide maximum permissible Election-Day wait time for voters, the LWVO believes it is critical that Secretary Brunner establish a clear statewide goal for maximum permissible Election-Day wait times. With such a goal, it would be the responsibility of each county board of election to analyze the problem at the county level based on past elections and a current pre-election assessment. Each county’s pre-election Contingency Plan, required and reviewed by the Secretary of State, should address how the county plans to avoid long Election-Day wait times and how they plan to deal with the problem should it arise.

The League of Women Voters of Ohio urges Secretary Brunner to establish such a goal and require each county board of elections to develop a plan to reach the goal. This would institutionalize the reform—and ensure that county boards address the issue.

As we approach the 2010 census – which will likely result in decreased congressional representation for Ohio – it is important to ensure that every Ohio resident is counted. The League is involved in that effort on two fronts.

First, the League is a member of the statewide Ohio Complete Count Committee (CCC) established by Gov. Strickland to increase awareness about the 2010 census and educate / motive Ohioans to participate.  The committee will work collaboratively with local Complete Count Committees and the U.S. Census Bureau to 1) Ensure a complete count through education and promotion; 2) Increase counts in hard-to-count areas; and 3) Increase mail-back rates of census materials. LWVUS is also a CCC partner at the national level. For more information, go to the CCC website: http://2010.census.gov/partners/pdf/cccGuide.pdf

Second, the League is participating on the statewide Ohio Census Initiative - You Can Count on Me, a nonprofit committee working to increase participation by focusing on 300 of the most difficult census tracts for intensive efforts to get an accurate count. Many of LWVO/EF's coalition partners are also participating, e.g., Ohio Citizen Action Ed Fund, Coalition on Homelessness and Housing (COHHIO), Ohio Votes, etc.

For More informaiton on the Census go to

www.census.ohio.gov  or www.nonprofitscount.org

View the video

June 16, 2009

Columbus, Ohio -- The League of Women Voters of Ohio, the League of Women Voters of Toledo-Lucas County, and a dozen Ohio citizens reached a historic agreement with the State of Ohio to fix defects in the way Ohio conducts itsfederal elections.

“Ohio voters won a great victory today with the settlement of this case which was about giving all eligible Ohio voters the chance to vote in a fair election and have their votes counted", said Meg G. Flack, president of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “Careful planning and uniform execution of elections was our goal and we believe this agreement achieves that.”

The agreement, calling for new institutional procedures in the electoral process, settles a lawsuit filed in 2005 that alleged that then Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, Governor Bob Taft, and their predecessors had failed to protect the fundamental rights of eligible Ohio voters to cast a meaningful ballot, as required by the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This landmark agreement is binding on the state to provide for uniformity and consistency in Ohio election procedures so that the opportunity to vote can be enjoyed equally by all Ohio citizens. See the fact sheet on the  LWVO Settlement Agreement here.  To download the full agreement click here.
 

For More Information on the Lawsuit Click Here

Linda D. Lalley, Meg G. Flack, Jennifer Brunner, Peg Rosenfiled and Deidra Reese

On June 18, 2009 the  League of Women Voters of Ohio and the Ohio Redistricting Competition partners announced the results of the successful Ohio Redistricting Competition, a project years in the making. The competition provides concrete proof that Ohio can rely on an open process based on objective criteria to produce fair legislative districts in Ohio.

The competition was first launched in March 2009 by a partnership of organizations and individuals, including Former State Representative Joan Lawrence, The League of Women Voters of Ohio, State Representative Dan Stewart, Professor Richard Gunther - Department of Political Science at The Ohio State University, Ohio Citizen Action, and Common Cause Ohio.

The objective criteria considered in the competition were Compactness, Communities of Interest , Competitiveness and Representational Fairness.

The three winning plans are listed below in no preference of order.

• Plan 1 (USER PLAN 32) Tim Clarke, Attorney, Avon, Ohio.
• Plan 2 (USER PLAN 5B) Stuart Wright, Columbus, Ohio.
• Plan 3 (USER PLAN 80) Mike Fortner, West Chicago, Illinois. Current State Representative (Dist. 95 – R), former mayor of West Chicago

For More information on the contest and plans submitted click here

We believe that . . .

• The responsibility for good government rests on the shoulders of its citizens.
• Empowering new generations of voters will shape better communities.
• Citizenship requires knowledge as well as the ability and will to act.
• Citizen participation in the democratic process builds better government.

We actively . . .

• Empower citizens to seek positive solutions to public policy issues throught education and advocacy.
• Mentor new civic leaders.
• Educate the public on new voting equipment and changes in election law.
• Provide nonpartisan Voter Guides during each election cycle.
• Work for election administration reform in Ohio.
• Conduct studies on government, social and environmental policy.
• Collaborate with coalitions to reform the system and protect our freedoms.
• Mobilize members and voters across Ohio, lobby legislators and influence change.

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You may also call the state office at 1-877 LWV-OHIO or 1-877-598-6446