July 23, 2013
Because of a Successful Lawsuit by Project Vote and other Voting Rights Groups, Ohio Public Agencies Continue to Show Significant Gains in Voter Registration
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Nearly 400,000 low-income Ohioans applied to register to vote, or updated their existing registrations, at public agency offices in 2011–2012, according to a new report released by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). This represents a continuation of dramatic increases in applications that has resulted from a successful lawsuit brought by voting rights groups to bring the state into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993. Since settling the lawsuit in 2009, Ohio’s trend has been significant gains in voter registrations at public agencies.
This chart displays the numbers of voter registration applications collected by public agencies in the state of Ohio as reported to the EAC. In the years following Project Vote and its partners’ 2006 notice to the state about lack of compliance with the NVRA, the state saw an uptick in registrations.
The NVRA requires public agencies that provide public assistance, such as SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, and other programs, to also proactively offer their clients the opportunity to apply to register to vote, or update their registrations, every time they apply for benefits, recertify, or change their addresses.
In 2006, Project Vote and its partners investigated Ohio’s dismal voter registration numbers at public agencies, which suggested that the state was failing to comply with this important law. In 2005 – 2006, fewer than 50,000 applications were collected. In addition, investigations at public agencies showed that many did not even have voter registration applications available. That same year, attorneys for Project Vote, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and other groups filed suit against Ohio to bring the state into compliance with the NVRA. The law firm of Dechert LLP provided pro bono legal services. The case was affirmatively settled in 2009.
In 2009-2010, 246,923 applications or updates were submitted from public agency clients. Now, new data compiled and released by the EAC show that the trend of compliance has continued and that the changes as a result of the lawsuit are still working. Statewide, 399,214 voter registration applications, or registration updates, were submitted by public agency clients between 2011 and 2012. These numbers represent a dramatic and continued improvement over the 116,844 applications from public assistance clients collected over the two years prior to the legal settlement.
“These data show that Ohioans want to register and will register to vote when given the opportunity,” says Sarah Brannon, director of Project Vote’s Public Agency Voter Registration Program. “The goal of the NVRA was to make registering and updating your registration more accessible, and specifically to reach those Americans who have been historically underrepresented in the electorate. Ohio is now seeing the result of their work to implement the law and reach new voters.”
About the NVRA and the Public Agency Voter Registration Program
Widely known as the “motor voter” law, the NVRA was passed in 1993. Among its other provisions, it required voter registration be offered at motor vehicle offices and agencies providing public assistance. Over 140 million Americans have applied to register through their Department of Motor Vehicles and public agencies since the law was first implemented in 1995.
However, after initial implementation saw great gains in voter registration applications, a worrisome trend of drop offs in registrations at public agencies followed as states began ignoring the requirements of the NVRA. Voting rights groups Project Vote, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Dēmos created the Public Agency Voter Registration Program to ensure that voter registration at public agencies would occur in compliance with the law. Working with other voting rights groups and pro-bono legal counsel, the project works to ensure through advocacy, technical assistance, and litigation that public assistance agency clients—the poorest and most marginalized residents—are offered their legally-guaranteed opportunity to register to vote.
Over nearly a decade, Project Vote and allies have taken measures in dozens of states, through partnerships or legal action, to bring the states into compliance. This work has resulted in 1.8 million more Americans applying to be registered to vote.