In first half of 2010, Voter Applications Skyrocket at State Public Assistance Offices
COLUMBUS, Ohio — More than 100,000 low-income Ohio residents have applied to register to vote at state Department of Job and Family Service (ODJFS) offices in the first six months of 2010, following a federal court settlement to bring the state agency into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).
Statewide, 101,604 voter registration applications–roughly two-thirds of them from women–were submitted by ODJFS clients between January 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010, according to agency records. This surge in applications followed the settlement of a 2006 lawsuit brought by voting rights groups–including Project Vote, Demos, and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law–to bring the state into compliance with the NVRA, which requires public assistance offices to provide voter registration services.
The lawsuit was settled in November 2009. During the first six months of 2010, ODJFS offices averaged 17,000 registration applications per month. The volume of voter applications is nearly a ten-fold increase compared to the applications collected prior to the lawsuit, when Ohio agencies were registering only 1,775 per month.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner praised ODJFS’s efforts for low-income voters.
“Since the beginning of our administration, my staff and I have made it a priority to ensure that the voting aged population inOhio has equal and fair access to registration and voting,” said Brunner. “Under the National Voter Registration Act, Congress recognized that certain populations had more difficulty in accessing voting and required Job and Family Services offices throughout the nation to offer voter registration services with guidance from the Secretary of State. We are pleased our efforts in Ohio have realized increases in voter registration of Job and Family Services clients and look forward to our continued partnership with ODJFS and advocate organizations working to serve this population.”
Voter Registration Applications Submitted at ODJFS
Offices