Today is National Voter Registration Day and in Ohio people have until Oct. 6 to register for the Nov. 4 general election.

It’s pretty easy to register to vote in Ohio and you may do so by visiting your respective county Elections Board or following the steps on the Ohio Secretary of State's web page to fill out and mail a registration application to your county Elections Board.

Here are the requirements to be eligible to vote in Ohio, according to the Ohio Secretary of State:

* You are a citizen of the United States.
* You will be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the general election.
* You will be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote.
* You are not incarcerated (in jail or in prison) for a felony conviction.
* You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court.
* You have not been permanently disenfranchised for violations of the election laws.

So if you're not registered, take a few minutes to become a registered voter.

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

Cuyahoga County Ed FitzGerald, also a Democratic candidate for governor, wasn’t happy April 7 when he learned Ohio House of Representatives Republicans want to cut local government funding by 10 percent to any county that sends unsolicited absentee ballot requests to registered voters.

“Any opportunity to make voting more difficult for the poor, seniors, African Americans and working Ohioans is consistently and enthusiastically embraced by the Republicans in the General Assembly. And their plan to now punish the residents of communities who simply want to make voting easier is not only politics at its worst, it is a direct attack on how local governments pay for police, fire and other vital services,” FitzGerald said in a statement.

The Columbus Dispatch reported April 8 that Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican who is up for re-election this year, said he plans to send absentee ballot requests to all Ohio voters and that this issue is something counties don’t need to worry about.

Meanwhile, FitzGerald was in Willoughby April 7 for a campaign fundraiser at the Willoughby Brewing Company.

“As governor, Ed FitzGerald will make the economy work for all Ohioans. Lake County’s unemployment rate is 7.9 percent, over a full point above the national average,” his campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said. “Before he make anther cross country trip to tout the Ohio Miracle, Gov. (John) Kasich should spend sometime talking to Ohioans in Lake County.”

Submitted photos are from the FitzGerald campaign.

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

I’ve decided to vent a little frustration that began to build after one of my colleagues shared a quick note about the voter turnout in Lake County.

Matt Skrajner tweeted Tuesday night showed the election turnout was amazingly low when compared to the past six November elections.

The voter turnout of registered voters for Tuesday’s election was a meager 30.56 percent, according to final unofficial results from the Lake County Elections Board. The official count will be completed later this month when a few hundred outstanding valid ballots are later added to the count.

But even with a slight bump in percentage, the final official turnout will lag in comparison to the five previous November elections in the county.

There was a turnout of 77.6 percent for the 2012 presidential election, 55.91 percent in November 2011, 51.23 percent in 2010, 46.06 percent in 2009 — which is a similar election to this past Tuesday regarding what candidate races were on the ballot — and 76.44 percent for the 2008 presidential election.

Granted, the recent election didn't feature an abundance of high-profile candidates races as perhaps in the past and it wasn't a presidential election when turnout is much higher. But just a tad more than 3 out of 10 registered voters bothering to cast a ballot in Lake County in November is not good.

These are the races and issues that affect people’s lives and pocketbooks closest to home, so why not take a few minutes to have a say? If not, don’t complain about your community officials’ job performance or about the rate of local taxes paid.

The city of Eastlake saw voter turnout a little higher with a race for mayor among those piquing interest.

The turnout in the 12 precincts saw the percentage of registered voters casting ballots range from as low as 29.71 percent in Precinct 1A to as high as 55.69 percent in Precinct 1C, according to final unofficial results. For the entire city, the voter turnout was 42.31 percent.

To save a little space, final official results from county elections board will be used to attribute voter turnout for the remainder of this column.

The winner in Lake County for the precinct with the highest voter turnout was North Perry Village Precinct AA with 57.39 percent. Voters there selected candidates for Village Council, Perry Township trustee, Perry School Board and Lake County Educational Service Center Board.

Painesville Precinct 4A had the lowest voter turnout with only 13.35 percent casting ballots despite three contested city council at large races, plus races for school board and Educational Service Center.

According to other county elections boards in Northeast Ohio, turnout wasn’t much better.
In Geauga County, it was 35.56 percent —  among the region’s highest. In Cuyahoga County, it was 28.99 percent and Lorain County had 28.65 percent.

A look some other counties shows turnout of 34.27 percent in Ashtabula County; 29.70 percent in Medina County; 28.85 in Portage County; 26.85 percent in Summit County; and 24.50 in Trumbull County.

Statewide voter turnout was not yet available by the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, which will post election results when county election boards certify their results. My hunch is we’ll see similar figures across the state.

Prediction recap

In last Saturday’s column I made predictions for four candidates races and three issues.

Of those picks, I managed to get three of four candidates races correct by predicting winners Dennis Morley for Eastlake mayor winner, David Eva for Mentor-on-the-Lake mayor, and Chuck Hillier and Josh Pennock out of nine candidates to win two Painesville Township trustee seats.

My upset pick of Joe Zawatski for Willoughby Hills Council at large 2-year term was incorrect as John Plecnik emerged victorious.

I went two for three with the issues selected by correctly picking passage for Laketran’s continuous 0.25 percent sales tax renewal and the Lake County Children Services 5-year, 0.7-mill renewal.

However, I failed miserably with my pick that the Willoughby-Eastlake Schools 5-year, renewal levy would not pass.

Who can it be now?

Geauga County Republicans meet today to select a new county commissioner to replace Tracy Jemison who retired effective Oct. 31. Early favorites I've heard mentioned are Geauga County GOP Vice Chairman Blake Rear, former appointed Commissioner Walter “Skip” Claypool and Chardon Councilwoman Nancy McArthur. It should be an interesting process.

How many ballots will it take to come to a decision?

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

Lake County officials remain concerned about a state law that could force the county to purchase additional voting machines.

A ratio that requires each county to have one voting machine per 175 registered voters was enacted in 2006 and is slated to go into effect next year.

Eliminating that ratio had been discussed as part of the two-year state budget that was passed June 30, but it ultimately did not happen.

Earlier this year, Lake County elections officials estimated the county would have to purchase an additional 54 voting machines based on a voter registration level of more than 152,000.

The cost would be $100,000 to $200,000, depending on if the equipment was new or used.

Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy said during a meeting this week that spending that money to purchase additional machines was an “unnecessary expenditure.”

Troy also recalled that county Elections Board Director Scott E. Daisher previously stated to commissioners publicly that the longest anyone had to wait to vote in the November 2012 election was a report of a 30-minute wait when the polls opened in one precinct.

Otherwise, there have been no long wait times so purchasing additional machines simply isn’t needed, officials said.

Troy said the County Commissioners Association of Ohio and Lake County officials will continue to speak with state lawmakers, including state Sen. Nina Turner, a Cleveland Democrat who represents half of Lake County as part of District 25 in the Ohio Senate.

Turner also is running for Ohio Secretary of State next year and likely will face incumbent Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.

When the law was enacted in 2006, it came as memories were fresh about reports of voters across the state who weren’t able to cast a ballot or had to wait for so long to vote that they decided not to bother.

Troy and other election officials in Lake County now argue the ratio is no longer necessary to implement because voters have more options available to them to vote absentee and that has helped alleviate long lines and made it easier to vote.

An interesting question to ponder is what would happen if the law isn’t changed or a solution isn’t reached in time and the county decided not to go ahead and purchase additional machines? Perhaps a potential legal challenge?

It will be interesting to see what develops.

Medicaid expansion

Gov. John Kasich continues to push for an expansion of Medicaid for people who earn up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.

The Columbus Dispatch reported Friday that the governor will ask the seven-member Ohio Controlling Board to approve spending about $2.56 billion in federal money to cover an estimated 275,000 low-income Ohioans under Medicaid.

With four Republicans, two Democrats and Board Chairman Randy Cole, who is a policy advisor for the state Office of Budget Management, it will be interesting to see if a Medicaid expansion basically skips past the Ohio General Assembly.

Candidate endorsements

Candidates in Lake, Geauga and eastern Cuyahoga counties who appear on the Nov. 5 ballot may send in listings of endorsements they receive for the upcoming election via email, fax or standard mail. They will appear online periodically on The News-Herald’s Northern Ohio Politics blog.

Deadline reminder

The weekly deadline for information to appear in this column is each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Email or fax is preferred.

Fundies

n Matt Jaworski, candidate for Wickliffe Council at large, hosts a bowling fundraiser, noon to 3 p.m. today at Wickliffe Lanes. See Jaworski or Matt Gallik.

n Lake County Commissioner Judy Moran hosts Oktoberfest 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 17 at American Legion Hall in Willowick. See Paul Miller or Kevin Malecek.

n Lake County Recorder Ann M. Radcliffe hosts spaghetti dinner fundraiser 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Park Road Grill in Painesville Township. See Terri Conley.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

by NowSourcing. Learn about data visualization software.

Original source: http://www.clicksoftware.com/logistics-and-servicing-the-election-voting-polls-infographic.htm#.UKFME4dX2NI

With the retirement of Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton slated for year’s end, who might be on tap to replace her on the bench?

It will be up to Gov. John Kasich to appoint a new justice, as Stratton’s term expires in 2014.

The Republican governor recently said he and his staff would evaluate applicants with input from several distinguished legal professionals from across the state.

Kasich said that he will accept applications through Nov. 16 and would like to announce an appointment by the end of the year, but would take whatever time is needed to evaluate candidates for his decision.

Might there be some interest by some local folks?

How about Diane or Tim Grendell? She’s been an 11th District Court of Appeals Court judge since 2000 and has served as a visiting judge for Ohio Supreme Court cases.

Tim Grendell currently sits on the bench as Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court judge.

He’s no stranger to the appointment process as Kasich appointed him in September 2011 to his current role on the bench.

What about Lake County Common Pleas Court Judges Richard L. Collins Jr., Vincent A. Culotta or Eugene A. Lucci?

Remember Lucci ran for 11th District Court of Appeals in 2010 and was the Republican Party’s nominee after winning a primary against Colleen O’Toole.

It’s settled

Because the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling, there will indeed be in-person absentee voting across the state for the final three days before the Nov. 6 election. Those hours are: Nov. 3, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Nov. 4, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; and Nov. 5, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Local election officials now at least know what to expect as the case had remained in legal limbo for weeks during the appeals process.

The decision to extend hours during the week and on the final three days will require staffing and time to assist voters with their ballots.

I think it will be interesting to see what that means in terms of lines at elections board offices. Elections officials hope with expanded hours during the weekdays voters who choose to vote an in-person absentee ballot won’t have to wait long because they will have more opportunities.

Will voters go to their respective elections boards on that Sunday? Some elections officials expressed relief that the in-person voting ends at 2 p.m. on that Monday because they will need time to process those voters and make sure that all the poll books reflect that someone already voted.

Candidate event

Soup and crackers lunch with David M. Fiebig, candidate for Lake County commissioner, 11:30 to 1 p.m. Oct. 29 at Surfside Towers Party Room in Eastlake.

Candidate endorsements

For any Nov. 6 candidates who have earned endorsements (not from The News-Herald), feel free to email them or fax them. Because of the volume and space required to list them, these items will not be printed in this column. Instead, they’ll be posted periodically on The News-Herald’s Northern Ohio Politics Blog at NorthernOhioLocalPolitics.blogspot.com.

Deadline reminder

The weekly deadline for information to appear in this column is each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Email or fax is preferred.

Fundies

n Judy Moran, candidate for Lake County commissioner, hosts a Ladies Luncheon with special guest speaker Kathy Purmal, noon to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 21, at Cappelli’s Party Center in Mentor. See Kathy Russo or Shirely Vesel.

n Last Clam Bake for U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, with proceeds to be given to the campaign of David Joyce, candidate for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District, 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Croatian Lodge in Eastlake. See Nick Ciofani or Liberty Schindel.

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

Planning to vote in the Aug. 7 special election? You can begin voting in person on Tuesday.

From The Associated Press:

COLUMBUS (AP) — Early in-person voting begins Tuesday for the Aug. 7 special election.
Secretary of State Jon Husted says voters in 35 Ohio counties will vote on 60 local issues, including school and local levies and charter amendments.
All non-military and overseas voters can begin voting at designated sites on Tuesday. Husted urges people to check with their local board of elections for locations and business hours.
The deadline to register for the special election is July 9.
Voters seeking to vote by mail can request an absentee ballot until noon Aug. 4. Request forms can be downloaded from the Secretary of State’s website, MyOhioVote.com. Voted ballots must be postmarked the day before the election, or can be returned in person until polls close.

Locally, two items are on the Aug. 7 ballot. Residents in the Madison School District will vote on a 4.9-mill tax levy for an additional 10 years to avoid an operations deficit. Residents in the Chardon School District will vote on a 5.95-mill tax levy for current expenses. Find more information on the Lake County Board of Elections website and the Geauga County Board of Elections website.

-- 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

In case you missed it, last week the U.S. House passed a concurrent resolution reaffirming "In God We Trust" as the official motto of the U.S.

H. Con. Res. 13 is a resolution "Reaffirming 'In God We Trust' as the official motto of the United States and supporting and encouraging the public display of the national motto in all public buildings, public schools, and other government institutions." If you're interested in reading the entire resolution (it's very short), you can see it as a PDF, an XML file or the printer-friendly version.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. J. Randy Forbes, a Republican from Virginia's Fourth District. It was introduced in the House back in January (and gained 64 cosponsors), and on Nov. 1 was passed in the House by a 396-9 vote (two members of the House voted "present," while 26 did not vote). On Nov. 2, it was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Check out the Final Vote Results for Roll Call 816 to see how all the members of the House voted. Republican Steven C. LaTourette of Ohio's 14th District and Democrat Marcia Fudge of Ohio's 11th District both voted in favor of the resolution.

You can also read the text of the dialogue from when H. Con. Res. 13 was brought to the floor.

According to Voterama in Congress, critics said time would be better spend on a jobs bill. The Washington Post quoted President Barack Obama sharing the same sentiment:

"In the House of Representatives, what have you guys been doing, John?" Obama said, calling out House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).
"You've been debating a commemorative coin for baseball. You've had legislation reaffirming that 'In God We Trust' is our motto. That's not putting people back to work," Obama said. "I trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves by putting people back to work."

Read more from the Washington Post's story on the resolution.

The House is in recess this week.


-- 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