NEWSROOM
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Statements & Press Releases
Voting Rights Groups File Federal Lawsuit Challenging Ohio HB 458 for Violating Americans with Disabilities Act
Columbus:
“Ohioans with disabilities often rely on support from their communities to ensure their voices are heard in elections,” said Jen Miller, executive director for the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “To make it a crime to help your grandparent or neighbor exercise their right to vote is antithetical to democracy. The League is proud to assist voters who need assistance voting, and we will fight to ensure that voter assistance
League of Women Voters of Ohio’s Statement on the Ohio Ballot Board’s Decision 10/12/23
Columbus: Statement from Jen Miller, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Ohio, in response to the Ohio Ballot Board’s unanimous agreement today that the amendment proposal from Citizens Not Politicians contains just a single issue, clearing the way for signature collection to begin across Ohio.
“LWVO commends the Ohio Ballot Board for recognizing that the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment has one clear purpose: to give everyday people the power to draw impartial legislative districts. Very soon, our hard-working volunteers will be in communities across the Buckeye State to collect signatures and educate voters. We encourage you to join this broad diverse movement to ensure that politicians can no longer rig maps to guarantee their own re-elections and that Ohio voters finally have the fair representation they deserve.”
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League of Women Voters on Attorney General Yost’s Approval of Citizens Not Politicians’ Petition Language 10/02/23
Columbus: Statement from Jen Miller, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Ohio, in response to Attorney General Yost’s approval today of the petition summary language used by Citizens Not Politicians, as they move toward getting their constitutional amendment in front of Ohio voters in November of 2024.
“LWVO enthusiastically supports the Citizens not Politicians Amendment, because it is high time to ban politicians and lobbyists from rigging legislative maps for their own short-sighted, partisan interests. Now that the Attorney General has approved the petition summary, we look to the Ohio Ballot Board to move this process forward. Hopefully very soon, our petition volunteers will be in communities across with the Buckeye State to collect signatures. We are steadfast in defending the right of Ohio voters to have fair statehouse and congressional districts.”
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Equal and Fair Districts Coalitions statement on adopted statehouse maps, calls for constitutional change: Politicians stack the deck for political pals by cheating voters out of fair districts. 09/26/23
COLUMBUS - Tonight, the GOP-controlled Ohio Redistricting Commission voted to adopt statehouse district maps that tip the scales for Republican candidates and solidify GOP majorities in both chambers. The two coalitions, Equal Districts and Fair Districts condemn the latest political power-grab by both the Republican and Democratic members of the commission
Link to full statement here.
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LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF OHIO IN THE NEWS
Ohio Republicans use taxpayer funds to boost "absolutely false" anti-abortion claims ahead of vote
Salon, 11/06/23
The proposed amendment would, "in practical terms, go back to how abortion worked under Roe v. Wade," allowing the state to prohibit abortion care after viability at about 22-24 weeks unless a patient's life or health is at risk, added Miller, whose organization has been combatting misinformation through public webinars with neutral legal and medical experts and disseminating Issue 1 fact cards in Ohio neighborhoods.
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Ohio purged 26,000 voters days before abortion referendum deadline
Voting rights advocates also say the office did not follow its established – although not obligatory – practice of alerting voting rights groups ahead of the purge. The office would typically give “the entire list to groups like ours so that we could, one, make sure the list was accurate and two, contact voters”, said Jen Miller, executive director of Ohio’s League of Women Voters.
The Guardian, 11/03/23
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Voting experts YOUR questions about early voting and next week's #Election2023, especially in light of recent voting ID law changes.
Sound of Ideas, 11/01/23
Ohio canceled over 26,000 inactive voter registrations. Here's what you need to know
Columbus Dispatch, 10/27/23
Miller said better notice ensures the League and other groups can help people re-register, if needed.
"We also know there can be a lot of mistakes made," Miller said. "We would like to see the secretary be incredibly transparent about who is being removed from the voter rolls simply for not voting because we are concerned that voter registration vendors could make mistakes and people could wrongfully be removed."
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Ohio 2023 Election: Voters need photo ID to cast in-person ballots for Nov. 7 election
The Independent, 10/23/23
“The evidence is showing us that there are still a lot of people who don’t understand or don’t know that you need a valid photo ID," said Nazek Hapasha, policy affairs manager for the League of Women Voters of Ohio.
Story here
Changes in Ohio voting laws mean new challenges for college and university students
WYSU, 10/23/23
Nazek Hapasha, the policy affairs manager for the League of Women Voters of Ohio, pointed out that many students, especially college freshman, are not permitted to have a car on campus — which makes it harder for them to get to the BMV to obtain an Ohio ID.
"If a student wants to vote on Election Day, securing a driver's license or a photo ID is a cumbersome process for many of them," Hapasha said.
The new law can create even more misunderstanding for young voters who are less likely to vote anyway, she said.
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How efforts to restrict democracy in Ohio also make it harder to fight climate change
Ohio Capital Journal, 10/09/23
Gerrymandering rigs outcomes. “Gerrymandering is manipulating district lines to secure outcomes for some candidates and some political parties,” said Jen Miller, who heads the League of Women Voters of Ohio. The new redistricting maps give Republicans veto-proof majorities of nearly 62% in the House and 70% in the Senate. Fair maps would have roughly a 55% to 45% split between Republicans and Democrats.
What's next for Ohio voters after approval of gerrymandered district maps?
Roundtable with:
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Jo Ingles, politics and government reporter, Statehouse News Bureau
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Nickie Antonio, Senate Minority Leader, Ohio Senate
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Frank Strigari, Columbus attorney, former chief legal counsel for the Ohio Senate
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Jen Miller, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Ohio
WOSU, 10/04/23
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Bipartisan legislative redistricting deal doesn't stop push for citizens-led plan
WSYX, 09/28/23
Jen Miller, executive director of the Ohio League of Women Voters, harshly criticized the Ohio Redistricting Commission’s compromise maps -- in part because they were prepared behind closed doors and approved before the general public could see them, much less react.