Voter Registration Day 2020: Ohio Organizations Answer Voting Questions

Early voting begins in Ohio on October 6 for the 2020 General Election.  If you are planning to cast a ballot in the election but are not registered or are not sure--there is still time.

This day has been set aside as National Voter Registration Day---to put a focus on helping people get ready for the election.  The day falls on the fourth Tuesday of September and started in 2012 by the National Association of Secretaries of State.  Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to register to vote on this day.  But registering does not equal voting.  It’s estimated that nearly 92 million eligible American did not vote in 2016.

People may be voting for the first time in this election, or changing the way they vote due to concerns about the pandemic.  Whether you intend to vote early, by mail or in-person you may have questions about how you should approach voting this year.  We have representatives from two voting rights organizations to help  answer registration and voter process questions.

You will find an explainer on how to vote in 2020 below from Ideastream's Nick Castele. You can also send your voting questions to soi@wcpn.org.

But first, the late Associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg continues to make history.  On Friday, Ginsburg will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol becoming the first woman in history so honored. Ginsburg died last week after a long battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 87.

Her death created an outpouring of emotion and sympathy as thousands left flowers and memorials outside the Supreme Court building in Washington. In a statement, Chief Justice John Roberts said the nation lost a "jurist of historic stature."

President Bill Clinton nominated Ginsberg to the Supreme Court in 1993.  The Senate approved her by a vote of 96 to 3.   Ginsberg led the high court's liberal minority, and was a lifelong champion of women’s rights and gender equality.

Her popularity transcended law. Among younger  fans she achieved iconic pop culture status---known simply as R-B-G.

Case Western Reserve University Professor Jonathan Entin talks about his work clerking for Ginsburg during her time on the appellate court and his lifelong friendship with her.

Later, the deadline for people to fill out their own Census forms arrives September 30. We have often heard that it is important for people to fill out the Census to keep Northeast Ohio from losing federal money and private investment.

Ideastream's Justin Glanville wanted to find out more about how the Census count affects funding here.  He spoke to Andrew Reamer a Research Professor at the Institute of Public Policy at George Washington University about the stakes for Northeast Ohio when it comes to the Census.

For More Information:

Ideastream Election 2020 Coverage

Cuyhaoga County Board of Elections National Voter Registration Day 2020 Events List

League of Women Voters: Vote 411

League of Women Voters of Ohio

All Voting Is Local Ohio

• Jonathan Entin, Professor Emeritus of Law and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Case Western Reserve University  
• Jen Miller, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Ohio 
• Kayla Griffin, Ohio State Director, All Voting Is Local 
• Andrew Reamer, Ph.D., Research Professor, Institute of Public Policy at George Washington University