Voter Suppression Bill to Qualify for November 2012 Ballot
COLUMBUS – Today, petitions containing 166,481 signatures
were delivered to Secretary of State Jon Husted’s Office for the effort to
repeal the voter suppression bill, House Bill 194.
On September 29, Ohio Democrats and their allies made the
first delivery of petitions, which by our count measured 318,460 raw
signatures. These signatures were collected in only six weeks. An additional
150,000 signatures were collected in the three weeks following the initial
delivery of signatures. Today, a total of 166,481 signatures on remaining
petitions were delivered.
“Without a doubt, Ohio voters will have the chance in November
2012 to protect fair and accessible elections in our state by repealing the
voter suppression bill,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern.
“This victory is yet another testament to the strength of volunteers across the
state and the momentum they will help carry into 2012.”
231,147 valid signatures are required to qualify for the
ballot. A broad coalition of allies including Fair Elections Ohio, the Ohio
Democratic Party, Organizing for America and ProgressOhio has now collected and
submitted well more than twice that amount.
Greg Schultz, State Director of Obama for America – Ohio,
added, “Organizing for America volunteers, along with our Democratic and allied
partners, sprung to action early on to put a stop to this voter suppression
bill and our volunteer network has continued to demonstrate great momentum and
dedication to finishing the job. We have proven today that we have the level of
statewide grassroots strength that is required for a referendum campaign like
this one because, when we work together, we can make change happen.”
Volunteers from the Ohio Democratic Party, Organizing for
America and countless organizations who worked diligently to collect signatures
to stop the voter suppression bill were also instrumental in defeating Issue 2,
John Kasich's attempt to strip public employees of collective bargaining
rights, by a margin of 61-39.
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