Ok, I got this email today:
In 2008, more than 1.7 million Ohioans cast their ballots before Election Day, in person or by mail.
I was one of those early voters, and chances are you or someone you know was, too. Together, we represented nearly a third of all votes cast in Ohio -- and changed that election.
But if our state legislators have their way, many of us won't be able to do it again.
A new law, rushed through the State House, dramatically restricts access to early voting and bans the most popular times and days. Millions of people will be forced to wait in longer lines or take time off work to vote. Many may end up deciding they can't vote at all.
This law is a serious threat to the rights of all Ohioans -- and exactly the kind of politics so many of us joined this movement to change.
Starting today, we're helping to fight back. Groups across the state have just over a month to gather at least 231,000 signatures on an official petition to reverse these restrictions. It's called a "citizens' veto," and it means we -- not the governor or state legislature -- will get to decide when and how we want to vote.
To get to 231,000, at least 118 people from Columbus are needed to help collect signatures. Will you sign up be a petition circulator today?
After you sign up, an organizer will be in touch with you and get you all the information, materials, and training you need.
It's absolutely critical that enough signatures are gathered over the next month. Here's a glimpse at what will happen if these new rules stand:
-- Ohioans will be able to vote early only between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. during the week -- the time when most people are at work, at school, or taking their kids to school or day care.
-- In-person early voting on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday -- popular voting times in 2008 -- will be banned.
-- The time allotted for early voting will be reduced from five to two weeks for in-person voting, and from five to three weeks for absentee voting.
-- If you go to the wrong polling location on Election Day, poll workers won't have to tell you where you should go to cast a ballot.
With so many Ohioans using early voting, these new rules will make voting more difficult for a lot of people. Early and absentee voters in Ohio are often parents, students, and working people, trying to fit voting into busy schedules and avoid long lines on Election Day. In many Ohio communities, those longer lines can make the difference between someone casting their ballot or leaving to go to work, pick up their kids, or get to class.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, if these rules are in place in 2012, up to 40 percent of voters in Franklin County will have to find a new time, place, or way to vote.
But even one person is too many, and a threat to one vote is a threat to our democracy.
This campaign represents the exact opposite of what this new law is trying to do. We believe the more people who participate, the stronger our democracy and more effective our government. That's why our organizing has always focused on bringing more people into the process, making it as easy as possible for someone to speak their mind and cast their vote.
This is in our hands now. Sign up to be a petition circulator -- and help us take back our voting rights:
http://my.barackobama.com/Ohio-Take-Back-Our-Rights Hope to see you out there,
Greg
Greg Schultz
Ohio State Director
Obama for America
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No link to the legislation at all, no real way for me to analyze it and see the language.
So I went digging.
Best I can find, so far, is that it is part of SB 5 (and the many articles I have found before and now on it don't link to the actual text).
If you are going to send me an email and ask me to help out - at least give me a link or two to look at, and not just one that says the same thing without any real info.