As Don Moss commented during a recent Communications Committee meeting, it is nice to have a competent administration in Washington quietly going about business.  However, that does not mean things are truly quiet.  Things are coming up on which we need to act.  I want to highlight three.

  1. Local Elections.

As you know, there will be elections this November. We will be electing people to serve on our city and village councils, our township boards of trustees, and our school boards.  We need Democrats to run for and get elected to these offices.

Why would you want to run for one of these offices?  First, these offices impact people.  These councils and boards spend money and have taxing authority.  They deal with issues such as what sorts of structures people may have on their property; what police, fire, and EMT service our communities have; when our schools are open; and what is taught to our children.  Second, these are part-time jobs.  Yes, they take time to do properly, but not all your time.  Most pay a salary.  Third, the races are contested over relatively small geographic areas like a village, township, or school district so the campaigns are less expensive and more manageable.  Fourth, these races are “non-partisan,” meaning that you are not identified on the ballot as a Democrats or, god forbid, a Republican.  Finally, there is no primary election.  You only have to win once in November.

Why do I want Democrats elected to these offices?  Most important, to me, putting people who are Democrats in these offices will show the County what Democrats can and will do that is better than what we have now.  Many of our voters today were not yet born the last time we had a Democrat in a county office.  They only know government by Republicans (is it any wonder why so many people distrust government?).  We need to show what Democrats can do in office.  This is our chance.  Also, these offices are the starting point for a career of public service.  All three of the current Republican county commissioners previously served as a township trustee or school board member.  Jean Schmidt, currently and previously the state rep from District 65 and for a time a member of Congress, used to be a Miami Township trustee.  We need to get some Democrats on the same career track that has served the Republicans so well

Please think about running for one of these offices in your community.  If not you, do you have a family member, friend, or neighbor who would do a good job?  If you know someone, please talk to them about it or let me know and I’ll talk to them.  The election is in November, but we need candidates to get started now!

  1. The Donkey Club

You know that, because of the Covid pandemic, CCDP has not had fundraisers.  However, the Party still has expenses.  We must maintain a visible presence in the County and that costs money.  We want to be able to do more to support our candidates and that costs money.  Everyone who does work for CCDP is a volunteer, none of us are paid.  Our money goes to keeping the Party functioning and to candidates.

You will soon receive an invitation to join the Donkey Club.  Until it is safe for us to have in-person events again, the Donkey Club is CCDP’s primary way to raise money.  I know money is tight, but PLEASE join the Donkey Club at whatever level you can afford.

  1. Elections and Voting

We all know that the state will be redrawing the boundaries of Ohio’s Congressional districts and state house and senate districts in 2021.  The census data needed to do this is not expected to come out until late summer or fall, so the process will necessarily happen very quickly.  We will keep you updated on that.  Before then, expect Republicans to try other things to keep our votes from counting, or even being cast.

Many Republicans have called the 2020 election “rigged” and “stolen” because too many of our voters got to vote.  Republicans know that they lose if everyone entitled to vote gets to vote.  They are determined to keep that from happening.  No less prominent a Republican than South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has said publicly that they will never get a Republican elected president again if they do not severely cut back on, or eliminate, voting by mail and early voting.  A bill making it harder for people to vote has already passed in Georgia.

Yes, the For the People Act, a bill to preserve voting rights, has passed the US House of Representatives.  However, that bill is unlikely to get the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster in the US Senate.  Even if the bill passes the Senate, it is not at all certain that it would survive review by the current Supreme Court.  The state legislatures are still going to be the important decision-makers on how we vote.

Although Republicans have done very well in Ohio, we can expect that bills intended to make it harder to vote and to deter people from voting will be introduced here.  This is national Republican priority.  We must stay vigilant and oppose such legislation at every step.  I know it takes time and can be boring, but we all need to follow what the Republicans are doing in Columbus.  I urge you to regularly check a source like the How Things Work at the Ohio Statehouse Facebook page.  Republicans are going to try to suppress voting to preserve their control and misrule of Ohio.  Speak out when you see it starting!

            Thank you for reading this.  Stay safe.