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Common
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April 17, 2007:  By making nearly $900,000 in political contributions, the Wholesale Beer and Wine Association of Ohio has become an even more powerful political force in the state Legislature, thanks to a new campaign finance law that quadrupled the contribution limits, according to a report by Common Cause Ohio with support from the Common Cause Education Fund.  Read the press release.

Read the report.

 

March 8, 2007:  More than 400 people turned out for the "Future of Media" Town Hall Meeting in Columbus!  "The debate over media ownership concerns the vitality of American democracy," said Republican FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell.  Read more about the hearing.

 

If you missed the hearing, you can still tell the FCC what you think about media ownership at http://www.commoncause.org/NoMoreConsolidation.

 

February 16, 2007:  Your voice is worth fighting for.  RAISE IT NOW - OR LOSE IT!  Do you want the media to do a better job of covering issues you care about? Do you want more quality journalism? Are you wondering whether a few giant media conglomerates will provide the diverse and independent viewpoints you need?


This fall, the Federal Communications Commission is considering new media ownership rules that may increase the number of newspapers, radio stations and TV stations that one company is allowed to own.


Now is your chance to tell FCC Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein, Robert McDowell and Michael Copps how well the media are serving your community. Don't miss this opportunity to make your voice heard!  Click here for more information.

 

 

July 12, 2006: Common Cause Ohio Files Suit Over H.B. 3: On July 6, a coalition consisting of Common Cause Ohio, Project Vote, American Association of People with Disabilities, and others, filed suit in a federal court in Cleveland. It is the opinion of the leadership of Common Cause Ohio that HB 3, the voter registration bill that passed in February, could be a devastating piece of legislation that may reverse all of the voter registration and voter turnout gains over the last eight years.  For more, read CC/OH's Samuel Gresham's statement.

 

 

May 25, 2006: Ohio Legislature Considers Redistricting Reform: The Ohio Legislature is currently considering HJR 13, a redistricting reform bill.  This comes six months after the CC/OH-backed Issue 4 lost on the November ballot, with many in the Republican leadership conceding that the redistricting process is broken while claiming that Issue 4 was not the right solution.  HJR 13, which contains many of the same reforms as Issue 4, certainly represents an improvement over the status quo.  Still, there are many ways in which the bill could be improved.  For more, read the testimony of CC/OH's Samuel Gresham before the House Rules Committee (pdf).

 

 

February 1, 2006: Ohio Legislature Passes H.B. 3: Yesterday the Senate and the House of the General assembly met to consider the conference committee report on substitute House Bill 3.  Despite opposition from many trusted election administration and reform advocates, including the League of Women Voters-Ohio, Ohio Conference of NAACP, Common Cause Ohio and others, both chambers approved the conference report and Governor Taft signed the bill yesterday.  You can locate and listen to lawmakers' floor statements at this webpage.  Just click on the "video archive" links, go to yesterday, January 31st, and then click on the section on H.B. 3

 

While there were some positive modifications to H.B. 3 during the course of the past year, Common Cause Ohio stood opposed to the final version of the legislation because we believe it will lead to fewer eligible voters voting and having their vote counted.  We look forward to continuing to work with policy makers, election administrators and our members to ensure accessible, accurate and accountable elections in Ohio.

 

 

January 23, 2005:  H.B. 3 Fight Continues: Over the course of the past year, CC/OH has working with activists and our partners to stay on top of Ohio House Bill 3 (H.B. 3), the Ohio legislature's attempt at election reform. Many people have responded and taken action in recent months and together with our allies and many, many activists we have generated thousands of emails and calls to lawmakers. 

 

Despite this good news, H.B. 3 does not appear to be improving, and in fact, the more we review the legislation, the worse it becomes.  While we raised initial concerns over the burdensome identification requirements (in the Senate version), we've recently uncovered several other provisions would hurt Ohio voters:

 

  • changes in the voter registration process that will remove eligible voters from the registration list;
  • changes the casting and counting of provisional ballots that will dramatically increase the number of provisional ballots used;
  • the inclusion of provisions that will allow poll workers to challenge a voter's registration without prior notification, enabling poll workers to discriminate against any voter and;
  • the elimination of federal election contests, allowing no recourse for dealing with fraud, mistakes, or voting irregularities.

 

The Timeline:  At the end of last month, the Ohio Senate passed an amended version of the House bill, only to have the House reject the amendments. H.B. 3 is now in conference committee, where differences in the two versions will be ironed out, and we expect a new, revised version of this sweeping legislation in the coming days, followed by quick votes in both the House and the Senate.  Lawmakers need to hear from constituents this week, as we expect they will attempt to pass this bill before the end of January.
 
What You Can Do Now:  Please contact your state Senator and state Representative today and after you take action, use the tell-a-friend form to spread the word.  To discuss the bill and your actions, please go to our blog.

 

January 9, 2005:  Common Cause Ohio is actively working to oppose and improve H.B. 3, an omnibus election reform bill that would dramatically change the electoral process in Ohio.  Together with our allies, and with help from you, we have been able to delay passage of this bill over the past year.  However, it is currently in conference committee and will be back to both houses of the legislature and voted on before the end of January. 

 

If the bill is passed it would require Ohio voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls.  H.B. 3 would also require paid signature gatherers and those who register voters to register in each county in Ohio, making voter registration drives at universities, fairs, or festivals nearly impossible.  H.B. 3 would criminalize improper voter registration activities and could potentially increase the utilization of provisional ballots, the so-called "second class ballot". 

 

What impact will H.B. 3 have?  We believe this is a grievous piece of legislation that will have the net effect of deterring and disenfranchising several classes of voters in the state of Ohio.  Older Ohioans that do not have the proper identification, as oultined in the bill, such as a driver's license or a utility bill that identifies them by name and address will have more difficulties executing their right to vote.  Students who live in university housing that may not have an address that identifies their residents will find their ability to register and execute their right to vote more difficult.  Individuals who move frequently or persons with no evidence of a permanent resident will find it difficult both to register and to exercise their vote. 

 

In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to update and mobilize our members and activists, work closely with our coalition partners, and work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to imporve H.B. 3.  Our goal is to make this legislation that we can support, based on our agenda for reform, or to ensure that bad reform, or "deform" does not pass.  Please visit this site or  register for our online activist network for regular updates.