Don't Disenfranchise Black Voters!
- by: Brittany E.G.
- recipient: Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted and Doug Priesse, Chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party
The Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has ordered all 88 counties in Ohio to prohibit early voting on nights and weekends during the last two weeks before the election.
This decision will predominately affect low-income and minority communities, especially the black community. Most early voters in Cuyahoga and Franklin counties were black in 2008. Blacks were 56% of all in-person early voters in Cuyahoga County, and in Franklin County, were 31% of early voters. Denying weekend voting will deny approximately 100,000 Ohioans the opportunity to vote..
Chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party, Doug Priesse, admitted that the new plan will make it harder for black voters but that there was no need to accommodate the "urban" voters. How is this democracy?
Please tell Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted and Doug Priesse to allow voting on nights and weekends and to stop disenfranchising black voters!
Dear Jon Husted and Doug Priesse,
I am writing today concerning voting rights in the state of Ohio. Recently, you, Jon Husted, prohibited early voting on nights and weekends during the last two weeks before the election. This will affect low-income and minority folks, especially the black community.
You, Doug Priesse, who was one of the board of elections members who stopped efforts to change voting hours to allow nights and weekends, acknowledged that this would affect the black community but said there is no need to accommodate the "urban -- read African-American" voters.
This is wrong -- everyone deserves to be able to vote. Please allow voting on nights and weekends and stop disenfranchising black voters.
Thank you for your time.
