The Clermont County Democratic Party held its second annual Volunteer Summit on February 7. Here are some key takeaways:
ACLU works hard to protect our constitutional rights.
As of Feb. 7, the ACLU had filed 147 lawsuits since Trump’s second term started, all related to immigration, voting rights, or free speech. In fact, last Friday the ACLU sued the state of Ohio over SB 293, which allows voter purges with no notifications, among other things. Read the press release here. See Tom’s presentation about knowing our rights and protecting ourselves at protests.
Petitions for Equal Rights Amendment and Right to Marry need signers, circulators.
Citizen-led ballot initiatives are Ohio’s only form of direct democracy on the state level. Ohio Equal Rights is the grassroots organization leading these two initiatives, and they must collect 4,008 signatures in Clermont county (413,487 signatures required statewide) in order to get the two proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot in November. You can read more about these initiatives here. For questions on where to sign petitions or how to become a circulator, contact Elizabeth Brumbacher.
Child Protective Services Levy will be on the May 5 primary ballot.
The Child Protective Services (CPS) levy will be on the ballot once again after failing by 68 votes last November. The levy consists of both a levy renewal (.8 mil) and a tax increase of .2 mil. Dotty Meier, Director of Clermont County Job and Family Services, explained that the levy is a .2 mill increase from what taxpayers are currently paying. That adds up to about $23 a year per $100,000 of their home’s appraised value, or an extra $7 a year from their current property taxes. If the levy is not passed, CPS will be forced to cut preventative programs that help keep children in the home with their families.
There are volunteer opportunities in all shapes and sizes.
We can change the direction of our government when we build our foundation, elect good people, and hold representatives accountable. Whether you want to manage a local campaign, secure donors for Good Trouble Gathering spring fundraiser, host a house party, call legislators, attend commissioners’ or city council meetings, work with your neighbors to hand out literature at your polling location, help with social media, put up signs, knock on doors . . . there is a job that is perfect for you. Reach out to clermontdems@clermontdems.org and tell us how you would like to plug in!
