CLEVELAND- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio unveiled a new campaign today targeted towards voters who may be wrongfully purged from voter registration lists or challenged on Election Day. The “Refuse to Leave” campaign urges all voters to stay and politely request a provisional ballot if a poll worker states they cannot issue them a regular ballot.
ACLU of Ohio Executive Director Christine Link said, “Ohio has seen an unprecedented amount of partisan manipulation this election season. Last-minute maneuvering could threaten to disenfranchise some voters who may be challenged at polls, bring insufficient identification or are purged from voter registration lists because of clerical errors like typos and misspellings.”
“Provisional ballots are a last resort for most voters but they are a far better alternative than not casting a vote at all,” added Link. “Many poll workers around the state are less familiar with the rules surrounding provisional ballots, so voters must be knowledgeable and insistent that they receive one if they are denied a regular ballot.”
If a voter is denied a ballot because they are not found on the voter registration list, are successfully challenged by a precinct judge or do not provide sufficient identification, they may still cast a provisional ballot. These ballots are held for ten days until they are verified by the county Board of Elections and then are added to the other votes already counted. If voters use a provisional ballot because they do not have adequate identification, they must bring a government-issued ID, utility bill, driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number to the Board of Elections within ten days of the election for their ballot to be counted.
As part of its public education campaign, the ACLU of Ohio has begun distributing thousands of flyers around the state of Ohio to other public interest groups, schools, businesses and community activists. Additionally, the ACLU has featured the information on the new “Vote!” section of its website, which also includes other helpful information for voters.
“Provisional ballots were created to avoid the worst case scenario that eligible voters are turned away at the polls because of technicalities. If a voter is prevented from casting a regular ballot, they must be allowed to cast a provisional ballot. We want to be sure that every voter’s voice is heard and no one who is qualified is denied their right to vote,” Link concluded.
Go to www.acluohio.org/vote to get more information about the ACLU’s “Refuse to Leave” campaign and view other resources in the new “Vote” section.
