Dear Friend,
Last week, when we asked you
to write to the General Government Committee about Senate Bill 153, you answered the
call in incredible numbers. 647 of you took action,
writing personalized letters to all six committee members. That means
3,882 individual messages landed in their inboxes,
showing the depth of opposition to this anti-democratic
legislation.
We have started to knock on
doors, letting people know about this bill and how it sets up
unnecessary roadblocks to voter participation: 168 handwritten letters
and 49 phone calls to the committee so far.
Our voices were heard loud and
clear
The General Government
Committee convened for a marathon session on May 27th to hear public
testimony on Senate Bill 153. The response was overwhelming -
107 total testimonies were submitted, with 23
people speaking in person and 28 registered as
interested parties. The room was packed with Ohioans from
across the state defending their voting rights.
Read our CEO Rachael Belz's testimony
Watch the full hearing video - SB 153 testimony
starts around 2:24.00
Why this
matters
Here's what we told the
committee Senate Bill 153 would actually do:
Disenfranchise tens
of thousands of eligible voters - particularly married women,
young people, less affluent individuals, and people of color - through
an unnecessarily complex citizenship verification process that has
nothing to do with actual election security.
Overwhelm election
offices - forcing an estimated 18,800 additional Ohioans to
visit their local Boards of Elections in person, straining already
limited resources and creating chaos on election day.
Suppress the petition
process - making it more difficult for citizens to place
initiatives on the ballot, the critical tool Ohioans use to push back
against government overreach and hold politicians accountable.
Increase rejected
ballots - Ohio already rejected 34,000 provisional ballots in
November 2024. This bill could cause that number to skyrocket,
throwing out even more votes from eligible Ohioans.
Next
Steps
If you haven't
already written to the committee, it will take two minutes using our email tool. Please feel free to
edit the letter using your own words.
After taking action please
share this link on social media with the hashtag
#OhioSAVEAct.
Senate Bill 153 is voter suppression, plain and
simple. It's designed to make voting harder for the very Ohioans who
need their voices heard most. We've beaten back these attacks before,
and we'll do it again - together.
Thank you for standing up for
every Ohioan's right to vote.
Ohio Citizen Action
P.S. Our team is working to defend voting rights in Ohio,
but we can't do it without your support. If you're
able, please consider making a donation of
$5, $10, or $25 today to help fuel our advocacy efforts. Every dollar
helps us amplify the voices of Ohioans. Thank you!
|
