Election Day is 56 days away. Early voting starts in 27 days. The time is now!
Absentee Ballots
The Board of Elections has already processed several thousand absentee ballot applications. An absentee ballot application can be downloaded from the Board of Elections website at https://boe.clermontcountyohio.gov. The Secretary of State has mailed absentee ballot applications to all registered Ohio voters. Voters who have not already done so should submit their applications right away.
Not surprisingly, I have had calls and e-mail from several voters who are confused by the fact that they have received multiple absentee ballot applications. Voters are wondering whether they need to complete and return all the applications they receive. Returning multiple absentee ballot applications is counterproductive. Voters can check whether the application they already returned has been received by going to clermont-voterview.boe.ohio.gov and clicking on “Absentee Ballot Tracking.” Voter View was not functioning earlier in the summer due to a technical problem arising from the Board having installed new and more secure servers. That problem is supposed to be fixed. If you become aware of anyone having trouble with Voter View now, please let me know.
A problem that is arising is voters who do not complete their absentee ballot application correctly. Many voters forget to sign the application. Other voters omit their date of birth or write in the date on which they completed the application instead of their date of birth. The BOE staff will attempt to contact voters who have submitted an incomplete or incorrectly completed application, but those attempts do not always succeed. Please encourage people to read the application form carefully and to complete it carefully. There is no law which prohibits voters from getting help to complete their absentee ballot application.
Ohio House District 66
We now have a write-in candidate for House District 66: Alicia Gee. Alicia has been endorsed by CCDP. Obviously, she has few resources and is getting in late. We need to do whatever we can to help Alicia. Talk her up to your friends and neighbors who live in District 66. The Republican whose name will appear on the ballot for House District 66 is bad news.
Down Ballot Candidates
As is always the case in a presidential year, everyone is focused on Biden v. trump. We cannot forget, or allow voters to forget about, the other candidates. Electing Judge Jennifer Brunner and Judge John P. O’Donnell to the Ohio Supreme Court is critical, not least because the inevitable lawsuits about re-districting that will come after the 2020 census results are in will be decided by the Ohio Supreme Court. We need a 4-3 Democratic majority on the Court. Remember that even our loyal Democratic voters need to be reminded about Judge Brunner and Judge O’Donnell. Judicial candidates do not appear on the ballot with a D or R after their names. Our voters need to know who our Supreme Court candidates are. Swing voters need to know that our candidates are experienced judges who will be fair and who will improve our State’s highest court.
Alan Darnowsky has, probably, the best chance in many years to win Ohio House District 65 (Loveland, Milford, Miami Twp., Union Twp., Goshen Twp., Stonelick Twp., Jackson Twp., Wayne Twp.). His opponent is someone even many Republicans do not like. She has touted her connections to racketeer former House Speaker Larry Householder and took a lot of Householder’s ill-gotten money. There is a far-right write-in candidate. If you talk to Alan for any time at all, you will realize that he is the best choice for the Ohio House. Unfortunately, Covid 19 keeps Alan from making that direct contact with many voters. Please do what you can for Alan.
We’ve all bemoaned the decades-long Republican lock on county offices. We’ve seen the corruption that has fostered. We have two chances this year to break that stranglehold on our county: Jeff Richards for County Commissioner and Acacia Uible for Clerk of Courts. Again, Covid 19 has kept our candidates from making the direct contact with voters that matters so much in local elections. Please be their surrogates.
Jamie Castle
Jamie is the latest in a list of outstanding candidates to run for Congress from Ohio’s Second District. Jamie told me on Friday that Wenstrup has agreed to debate her twice. Both debates will be broadcast by Cincinnati television stations. As we get specific information, we will push that out. Plan to have debate watch parties.
Looking ahead
Of course, our focus right now is on the 2020 election. However, please do not forget that there will be more elections, starting with cities, townships, and school boards next year. The presidential election is bringing out people who are not politically active at other times. Please keep an eye out for people who might be good candidates for these local offices, especially younger people who can start building a resume of public service and run for higher offices in the future. When you meet someone who has potential, stay in touch with them and try to get contact information.
Keep working! Stay safe.