This summer, the United States had its 249th birthday. Remember, the ACLU has been in existence for 105 of these annual observances, and we've seen it all – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Many of us who are passionate about liberty, justice, and civic principles are finding it difficult to “celebrate” right now while our democracy is in such turmoil, but as the famous James Baldwin saying goes, “I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
It is up to us, as advocates and social justice warriors, to reclaim the narrative, rebuild trust in civic society, remind people of their constitutional rights, and reignite participation in our democratic and electoral processes. That being said, it's time to address an urgent problem we're facing in Ohio, while also offering a sound, productive solution.
Ohio recently adopted a highly restrictive and punitive campaign finance law aimed to dramatically limit public participation in direct democracy, ballot measures, and electoral engagement up and down the ballot. This controversial law requires that organizations like the ACLU verify that funding for electoral work come only from individuals and entities who have attested to their U.S. Citizenship.
The Republican supermajority in the Ohio legislature pushed this initiative citing concerns about "foreign election interference", but we see through their thinly veiled propaganda machine and know this law is in fact about something much deeper and more concerning: to systematically dismantle the people's power and ambush the citizen-initiative ballot process. It is no surprise that this was a top priority for Ohio lawmakers following the success of two back-to-back progressive ballot victories in 2023.
As a result of House Bill 1, there are numerous new administrative burdens placed on non-profit organizations like the ACLU of Ohio to ensure complete compliance, or leaders at our organization will be faced with felony charges and prison time.
To guarantee that the ACLU of Ohio is compliant with the new law, we created The Voter Impact Fund to ensure our staff can lead and remain involved in local and statewide ballot initiatives for years to come.
This new funding reserve will also enable us to continue producing candidate profiles to educate voters on key races from the Ohio Supreme Court to county prosecutors. Our team has already begun preparing for the 2026 midterm elections, and ensuring we have sufficient resources in the Voter Impact Fund is imperative to our success.
There is a sinister motive behind our opponent's long-term plan in Ohio. Let's work together to restore what we've lost and revive our democracy ahead of the 2026 Midterms.
