COLUMBUS – Today the Ohio A. Philip Randolph Institute endorsed a ballot initiative to modernize Ohio’s elections through a series of reforms including automatic voter registration and same day voter registration. The proposed constitutional amendment would also ensure timely ballots for military and overseas citizens and guarantee 28 days of early voting. Ohioans for Secure and Fair Elections filed paperwork with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office on January 22 and will host a public launch in the coming weeks.

The following statement can be attributed to Andre Washington, President of Ohio’s A. Philip Randolph Institute: “Over the last four years Ohio APRI has been the lead plaintiff in two massive voting rights legal battles: one challenging Ohio’s voter purge process and one challenging Ohio’s gerrymandered map. Voting rights and ballot access are core to our mission and we look forward to continuing this work in joining Ohioans for Secure and Fair Elections to pass this constitutional amendment. We need a voting system that works for all Ohioans.” The Ohio Chapter of the NAACP announced their endorsement on January 28. Ohioans for Secure and Fair Elections continues to build a non-partisan, broadly representative buckeye coalition with Ohio veterans, faith-based groups, members of the disability rights community, advocacy and legal organizations.

###