FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COLUMBUS — All Voting is Local Ohio announced today a text alert campaign to encourage people to register to vote ahead of the state’s Oct. 9 deadline. The effort reaches 356,659 infrequent Ohio voters by text messages sent to their cell phones, encouraging them to check their registration status, update their registration and cast a ballot in the Nov. 6 general election.
In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, which upheld Ohio’s aggressive process of removing otherwise eligible voters from registration lists, All Voting is Local seeks to empower Ohioans to be vigilant about their voter registration.
“There’s no question that the key to ensuring a voice in our democracy is to first and foremost be registered to vote,” said Mike Brickner, Ohio State Director for All Voting is Local. “Voters may not realize their registration needs to be updated or that they may not be registered at all. A few clicks can give voters the peace of mind that their voices will be heard in the upcoming election. And what could be easier than doing it all from your cell phone?”
In Ohio, citizens who go six years without voting and fail to respond to address confirmation letters, could be removed from the registration rolls. All Voting is Local’s research shows hundreds of thousands of these infrequent voters could be eligible to cast ballots this November, as long as they verify, and if necessary remedy, their registration. These same voters did not receive Secretary of State Husted’s recent mailing of absentee ballot applications.
The campaign includes two text alerts sent directly to the phones of voters. The first messages were sent the week of October 1, alerting Ohioans to the approaching registration deadline, with a link to the state’s voter registration website.
A second message will be sent the week of October 29, reminding people of the approaching Nov. 6 general election and includes a link to the Ohio website for the national, nonpartisan Election Protection coalition, which offers comprehensive information and assistance at all stages of voting — from registration to casting a ballot.
Transcripts of the texts are as follows:
Week of October 1: “Hi this is [NAME] from All Voting is Local. Election Day is coming up! Is your voter registration up to date? Click here: https://olvr.sos.state.oh.us/to register to vote or update your registration info”
Week of October 29: “Hi this is [NAME] from All Voting is Local. Voting has started here in Ohio! Have you made a plan to vote? Click here: https://866ourvote.org/state/ohio/for info on where to vote & what you need to bring!”
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All Voting is Local fights for the right to vote through a unique combination of data-driven organizing, advocacy and communications. It is a collaborative campaign housed at The Leadership Conference Education Fund, in conjunction with Access Democracy; the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation; the American Constitution Society; the Campaign Legal Center; and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.