Voter Suppression Bill to Qualify for November 2012 Ballot
COLUMBUS – Today, petitions containing 166,481 signatures were delivered to Secretary of State Jon Husted’s Office for the effort to repeal the voter suppression bill, House Bill 194.
On September 29, Ohio Democrats and their allies made the first delivery of petitions, which by our count measured 318,460 raw signatures. These signatures were collected in only six weeks. An additional 150,000 signatures were collected in the three weeks following the initial delivery of signatures. Today, a total of 166,481 signatures on remaining petitions were delivered.
“Without a doubt, Ohio voters will have the chance in November 2012 to protect fair and accessible elections in our state by repealing the voter suppression bill,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern. “This victory is yet another testament to the strength of volunteers across the state and the momentum they will help carry into 2012.”
231,147 valid signatures are required to qualify for the ballot. A broad coalition of allies including Fair Elections Ohio, the Ohio Democratic Party, Organizing for America and ProgressOhio has now collected and submitted well more than twice that amount.
Greg Schultz, State Director of Obama for America – Ohio, added, “Organizing for America volunteers, along with our Democratic and allied partners, sprung to action early on to put a stop to this voter suppression bill and our volunteer network has continued to demonstrate great momentum and dedication to finishing the job. We have proven today that we have the level of statewide grassroots strength that is required for a referendum campaign like this one because, when we work together, we can make change happen.”
Volunteers from the Ohio Democratic Party, Organizing for America and countless organizations who worked diligently to collect signatures to stop the voter suppression bill were also instrumental in defeating Issue 2, John Kasich's attempt to strip public employees of collective bargaining rights, by a margin of 61-39.
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