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Voting Rights

Updated 01.11.10 The right to vote has been called the “vital principle of self-government and individual liberty.” When you register to vote and participate in elections, you play a critical role in preserving our democracy.

What’s happening in Ohio


Election Reform Legislation

Elections-enhancement legislation, House Bill 260, was recently introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives. The bill proposes reforms in four areas: voting technology and administration, early in-person voting, mail-in and absentee voting, and election-day and post-election procedures. Read the ACLU's position paper on these proposals.


Litigation

Read about voting rights lawsuits filed by the ACLU in Ohio .


Get Active!
 

  • Register to vote and participate in elections. The Secretary of State oversees the election process in each of Ohio's 88 counties.
  • Democracy needs an operator! Become a poll worker. Contact your local board of elections for details.
  • Young people can be poll workers too. Ohio law allows 17-year-old high school seniors to serve as poll workers. The ACLU of Ohio encourages young people to get active!
    Information for students
    Information for teachers


Resources

Can a convicted felon run for office?

Our Voter Empowerment Card gives you all the information you need to make sure your vote counts.

Ohio Secretary of State's website

Can Homeowner’s Associations Regulate Political Speech?

The following publications were produced by the Voting Rights Institute:

League of Women Voters of Ohio

Voting rights updates across the country from the national ACLU

Election reform and voting rights blog by Dan Tokaji, ACLU of Ohio board member, volunteer attorney, and voting rights advocate

Information and insight on the laws governing federal, state, and local elections from Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law

Read From Registration to Recounts: The Election Ecosystems of Five Midwestern States, published by Election Law @ Moritz.

While Ohio restores voting rights to people convicted of felonies, many states do not, garnering international condemnation. Read Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Also see the ACLU report, Race & Ethnicity in America: Turning a Blind Eye to Injustice.