It still surprises me that so few people take the time to vote whenever there is a special election during which no candidates appear on a ballot.

In Lake County, there were 105,822 voters eligible to vote last Tuesday, but yet only 17,164 or 16.22 percent bothered to take the time to do so.

Folks, that’s fewer than two of every 10 registered voters or barely more than three out of every 20.

I realize that people have busy lives and it does take a little bit of time to vote, but not that much. I also understand that, despite the best of intentions, the opportunity to vote is missed.

But to make it much easier to make sure our rights as citizens can be accomplished, the voting process in Ohio has expanded in recent years.

No longer is a reason necessary to cast an absentee ballot as it can be done early by voting through the mail or in person at the county Elections Board.

Of course voting remains available on election day at voters’ respective polling locations. No long lines this time.

Perhaps people didn't realize they had an issue for which to vote or worse they didn't care and took the attitude to let someone else decide.

If that’s the case, then it’s especially hard to understand when someone wants to complain about a school district or the amount of property taxes they might pay when a school levy passes or fails.

When a municipality or township has an issue on the ballot these are questions that directly impact the community where you live. Why wouldn't a registered voter want his or her input to be a part of the process?

Statewide recognition

Madison Township Beverly Getzy, a Democrat who has worked as a precinct election official in Lake County for more than 40 years, was presented the PEO Red Carpet award Thursday by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.

She was nominated for the award by the Lake County Elections Board.

The Precinct Election Official Red Carpet Award is given out by the Secretary of State’s office and recognizes the outstanding service and dedication of poll workers throughout Ohio for their work in helping to administer elections in their local communities.

Filed petitions

People who recently have filed candidacy petitions in Lake County are Chuck Klco for Leroy Township trustee and Christopher L. Biro for Willoughby Hills Council at large.

In Geauga County, Michael Farrell for Claridon Township trustee, Jim McCaskey for Munson Township trustee,

Taken out petitions

Recently signing out candidacy petitions in Lake County are Suanne Sines for Perry School Board, James R. Fodor for Painesville Council at large, and Mitch Kallay for Painesville Township trustee.

In Geauga County, Claudine Steinfurth and Michael Troyan for Auburn Township trustee; David Brockway for Claridon Township trustee; Jim Baker and Nancy Saunders for Huntsburg Township trustee; Randal C. Peterson and Lu Ann Burger for Montville Township trustee; Charles Walder for Russell Township fiscal officer unexpired term ending March 31, 2016; Erwin M. Leffel for Thompson Township trustee; Carl Sanborn for Troy Township trustee; Scott Klein and Ronald W. Wiech for Middlefield Village Council.

Deadline

The weekly deadline to submit information for this column is prior to 5 p.m. each Wednesday. Email or fax is preferred.

Fundies

n Fundraiser for Willoughby Mayor Dave Anderson, 5 to 7 p.m. May 14 at Willoughby Panini’s. See Rick Hart or Anderson.

n Fundraiser for Geauga County Commissioner Mary Samide, 4:30 to 7 p.m. May 30 at S.O.S. Inc. in Munson Township. See Samide or Jacqueline Moskal.

n Lake County Commissioner Robert E. Aufuldish, 18th annual golf outing, 11:30 a.m. registration May 31 at Powderhorn Country Club in Madison Township. See Kathie Aufuldish-Freshour or Ernie Koenig.

n Lake County Sheriff Daniel A. Dunlap’s Golf and Steak Fry, 10:30 a.m. shotgun start June 7 at Painesville Country Club. See Lu Dunlap or Frank Leonbruno.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

State Sen. Nina Turner plans to announce the introduction of the Voter Protection Act at a press conference today at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.

Turner, D-Cleveland, said the bill would emphasize promoting and facilitating ballot access, prevent arbitrary disenfranchisement of voters, and encourage county election boards to make bipartisan adjustments to meet the needs of their communities.

Turner represents Ohio Senate District 25, which consists of Eastlake, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Lakeline, Mentor Ward 4, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville, parts of Painesville Township, Timberlake, Wickliffe, Willoughby and Willowick in Lake County , plus Euclid, Richmond Heights and other eastern Cuyahoga County communities.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Sharing a news release I received yesterday on the Military Voter Protection Project's 2012 Heroes Vote Initiative (which I blogged about last month). Ohio has been named an All-Star for its efforts. Read on:

WASHINGTON – The Military Voter Protection (MVP) Project today praised 15 states for their leadership in promoting and protecting the voting rights of America’s military service members and their families.  As part of the MVP Project’s 2012 Heroes Vote Initiative, 15 states have been named as All-Star states for their extraordinary efforts.

“These states are led by a tremendous group of state and local election officials who have made military voters a priority in elections.  They have provided the gold standard of leadership in the fight to promote and protect the voting rights of our heroes,” said Eric Eversole, founder and executive director of the MVP Project.  “We still have a long way to go, but these states are providing the example for other states to follow.”

The All-Star states include: Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

In analyzing these states, the MVP Project looked at a number of factors including:

·         The state’s efforts to work with and reach out to local military installations and National Guard units on a proactive basis to provide on-base voter assistance;
·         Its use of electronic and web-based services to send election materials;
·         Its willingness to create specialized communications to military voters either through public service announcements or web-based announcements;
·         The state’s legislative efforts to eliminate barriers to military voter participation; and
·         Its track record of making sure that absentee military ballots are sent out no later than 45-days before the election and, when they are not, a high degree of accountability to resolve any violations.

“We will continue to work with every state that is willing to make our military voters a priority and to provide them with the tools to participate in the election.  We hope that all 50 states will join our Heroes Vote Initiative as All-Star states.” said Eversole.

For more information about the Military Voter Protection Project’s Heroes Vote Initiative or to view details about the MVP Project’s All-Star states, please visit http://www.heroesvote.org/.

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Sharing a news release I received this afternoon on the Heroes Vote Initiative:
 

WASHINGTON - The Military Voter Protection Project (MVP) has launched a new initiative, the Heroes Vote Initiative, to ensure that America’s service members and their families have their voices heard on Election Day.

The Heroes Vote Initiative is the first and only nationwide campaign to encourage military voter participation and to provide those voters with the tools to register and request an absentee ballot.  As part of the initiative, MVP is creating strategic partnerships with local military and veterans groups, as well as state and local election officials, to make military voters a priority in this year’s election.

“It’s time for our men and women in uniform to have their voices heard on Election Day,” said Eric Eversole, the founder and executive director of MVP.  “For too long, our men and women in uniform have faced one road block after another when they attempt to vote.  The Heroes Vote Initiate not only addresses many of the systemic challenges faced by military voters, it creates a positive, community-based message to encourage military voter participation in our elections.”

The difficulties faced by military voters have been well documented in recent elections.  In 2008, thousands of absentee military ballots were sent to wrong addresses, lost in the mail or mailed too close to the election for the ballot to be returned.  To make matters worse, thousands of ballots were rejected by local election officials because the ballot—through no fault of the military voter—arrived after the election.

Unfortunately, these same problems continued to plague military voters in 2010.  MVP’s comprehensive analysis of that election showed that less than 5 percent of 2.5 million military voters had an absentee ballot that counted in the 2010 election.  Once again, thousands of military absentee ballots were lost in the mail, delivered too late or never delivered at all.

The Heroes Vote Initiative will tackle these challenges by assisting military voters through a variety of web-based programs and online solutions.  In addition, it is planning to host or participate in military voter registration activities throughout the United States.

For more information about the Heroes Vote Initiative, please visit www.heroesvote.org.

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

If you want to vote in November's election, time is running out to register to vote. Absentee voting began this week, and is available to anyone who wants to vote before the Nov. 8 election or is unable to vote on Election Day. But to cast a vote - either in person or absentee - you must be registered. Deadline for registration is Oct. 11.

You can register to vote in Ohio on the Secretary of State's website by downloading the voter registration form and mailing it to your county board of elections. For more information on eligibility and submission information, check out the voter registration information form.

You also can look up your voting information on the Secretary of State's website. Fill in the required fields to see your voting history and polling location information. You can learn a lot more about the voting process, eligibility and more on the Secretary of State's Voter Information page.

Additionally, the county boards of elections provide details about whether you are registered, where to cast your ballot, and what you'd be voting on. Visit the websites for the Lake County Board of Elections, Geauga County Board of Elections and Cuyahoga County Board of Elections for more information.

Not sure if you're going to vote in this year's election? Find out what's on the ballot. You can also read the ballot language, official explanation, and arguments for and against the three issues on the statewide ballot. That information is also available as a 60-page PDF titled State Ballot Issues Information for the November 8, 2011 General Election. If those documents are too much jargon for you, read the layman's terms version: An Associated Press article titled Ohio to decide 3 issues after heated fall campaign.

In addition to the statewide issues, several local issues and candidates are on the ballot. The News-Herald is publishing election previews of the contested races, so check back daily for more information on the candidates and different sides of the issues. You can also check out the election filings to see what issues and candidates made it onto the ballot in each municipality in Lake, Geauga and eastern Cuyahoga counties. Additionally, we have published the candidate questionnaires, which are forms we ask those running for office to fill out to give us and voters a better idea of what they would like to do if elected.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Josh Mandel

Sherrod Brown

The Democratic Party announced Monday that U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown raised $1.3 million in the first quarter of this year to defend his seat in next year's November election (and, Brown has $2.5 million in cash on hand).

Then on Tuesday, Democrats criticized Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel (a Republican) for announcing he would like to run against Brown for the spot in the U.S. Senate. Mandel was elected in November and has been serving in office for fewer than four months.

Election campaigning sure starts early. Not only does Brown already have a good amount of money for his re-election campaign, but it also seems that the Democrats are ready to come out swinging against a Republican who wants to unseat him.

Should Mandel stay in his seat or run for Senate? Vote in our poll at News-Herald.com/Opinion.

How long until the election?



-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

If you're having trouble deciding among the U.S. Senate and House candidates in these next few days before the election, consider checking out Project Vote Smart's VoteEasy tool, which takes your position on various topic to match you up with the candidates most like you.

Choose your state and enter your ZIP code, then select an issue to input how you feel and how important that is to you. The Senate and House candidates (pictured on yard signs) will move on the lawn depending on your answers, so you can see how each one's opinions compare to yours. Click on the yard signs to learn more about each of the candidates, including their education, experience, voting record, and interest group ratings and endorsements.

Still looking for information on candidates, races and voting? Check out The News-Herald's election page.


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

The buzzword before next week's election should be "redistricting," and an Associated Press article in Tuesday's News-Herald focuses on just that:

The GOP could capture new Senate or House majorities in a dozen to 18 states — along with critical new power to redraw district maps and influence elections for a decade to come. Three of the biggest prizes are New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. All three states are expected to lose seats in Congress as a result of the 2010 census, and that's sure to ignite boundary fights. A party's congressman on the wrong end of redistricting can find the district he's represented for years no longer exists.

That's right: Ohio likely will lose at least one of its 18 Congressional districts, which means someone is losing his or her job. Ohio's population loss since the 2000 Census is putting us in position to lose representation in Washington, and the party that is elected into power next week will determine how the next Congressional districts are drawn.

Wondering how that works? The ReDistricting Game (at www.redistrictinggame.org) can explain that better than I.

Created by the USC Game Innovation Lab and developed for the USC Annenberg Center for Communications, The ReDistricting Game lets users redraw Congressional districts while keeping the current representatives happy. Once you have the correct number of residents in each district, you get feedback to make sure you have done what the party leaders want you to do. That could include drawing districts your party will win, or drawing districts that will keep all the constituents in office, regardless of party. Once you submit your plan for approval, the State Legislature must vote in favor of your plan. Then the governor has to sign it. Then it has to successfully make it through challenges in court to be accepted.

The game can get pretty difficult as your progress through levels, but it is a pretty fun way to learn about a topic that only makes it into the news every 10 years. If you're a political person who likes puzzles, you'll probably enjoy figuring out how to get this one to work. (And the game has some subtle wit, like with the characters Libby Rahl and Connor Servative.)

After playing the game, check out a current map of the Congressional districts in Ohio here. This is the last election for which these 18 districts will exist. Which districts are going away? How will the new ones be drawn? It depends a lot on who is voted into office next week.


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

In Sunday's News-Herald were two stories from The Associated Press about candidates in the Nov. 2 election. John Seewer looks at three U.S. House seats in Ohio currently held by Democrats that Republicans are targeting. Julie Carr Smyth writes about statewide officeholders not seeking re-election, which means the party in power could easily change hands.

After reading those articles and watching the first debate between Gov. Ted Strickland and his Republican challenger John Kasich, I'm starting to look forward to Nov. 2. While I'm tired of the biting campaign commercials, I'm excited to see how the races are going to shake out. Will Republicans take U.S. House seats from Democrats? Will Democrats Attorney General Richard Cordray and Treasurer Kevin Boyce be able to hold onto their positions? Will the voters who helped Barack Obama win the presidency turn out for Democrats, Republicans or not at all? Will the tea party movement have an effect on the regular election? (Monday's RedBlueAmerica weighed in on that, and, as is usually the case, I find myself agreeing with both sides.)

I'm not sure if I'll be surprised at the outcome of the election, though at this point I have no idea what is going to happen -- nor for whom I'm going to cast my vote. Nov. 2 will be an interesting day, and I will be glued to the TV and elections boards' websites all night waiting to see what happen happens. Where will you be Nov. 2?


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

With Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy recently bringing up discussion about the costs for special elections, it made me think about why some elections are called special.

Literally, it's because a special election isn't regularly scheduled like a primary in May or in November when they are called a general election. With no candidates on the ballot in Lake County on May 5, there would be no election without entities calling for a special election for issues. Four did, so 108 of 215 precincts will have one issue on which to vote.

While it is special that our society gives people the right to vote, it don't always appear that voters believe that privilege is special.

Many times, you'll see some elections with voter turnouts of 20 percent or fewer. Why is that? People love to complain about how terrible things are or how bad politicians may be or how they disagree with how their community government or schools are run.

But what do so many people do? Nothing. I think many people just like to complain about things as a way to converse. For example, "It's too cold today" or "I hate winter" or "Traffic was terrible this morning". These are things we cannot change.

But for things we can change, it is far too often that people are apathetic toward making their voice heard. To me, that is strange in a state where people can now cast an absentee ballot by mail if they don't have time to go vote.

Those involved in the recent 2008 presidential election were pleased in some areas where voter turnout reached 80 percent.

Why isn't it at least that high at every election?

-- John Arthur Hutchison