WHAT’S AT STAKE IN OHIO IS A CRITICAL PART OF REACHING 270 ELECTORAL VOTES IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Ohio is widely known to be among the most important Battleground States – siding with the electoral winner in the last 13 presidential elections and topping Nate Silver’s tipping point list throughout 2012. Ohio was decided by fewer than 5 points in 2008 and 2012 and is shaping up to be a critical state in 2016. As Ohio’s 18 electoral votes go, so goes the nation.

IN 2012, PRESIDENT OBAMA WON OHIO BY JUST 166K VOTES

ROMNEY OBAMA

OHIO’S SECRETARY OF STATE POSES ONE OF GREATEST THREATS TO VOTING RIGHTS IN THE NATION

Since being elected in 2010, Republican Secretary of State has gained infamy in the national spotlight for his continued efforts to restrict access to voting in Ohio. In 2012, Husted sought to swing the election for Republicans by making it harder for eligible voters to cast their ballots. He battled to curtail early voting periods – seeking to eliminate days on which over 90,000 votes were cast in 2008 – a move that would have disproportionately impacted minority voters. Husted’s crusade to erect barriers to voting continued through Election Day, leading to widespread speculation that the outcome of the Presidential Election could be determined by the success or failure of his efforts. New state voting laws cause controversy; critics fear turnout will suffer // Sabrina Eaton // 08/05/2013

“The 2000 presidential election was thrown into turmoil by antiquated paper ballots in Florida that made voters’ intentions difficult to decipher. In 2004, hours-long lines at polling places kept thousands of Ohio voters from casting ballots. In 2012, new restrictions on voting enacted by state legislatures around the country have the potential to sway the presidential race by making it harder for citizens to vote, election experts say. ‘Here in Ohio, as in many other parts of the country, we have seen rules adopted in the past decade -- and especially in the past year -- that make it more difficult for eligible citizens to vote and have their votes counted,’ Ohio State University election law expert Daniel P. Tokaji told a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing earlier this year in Cleveland.”

iVote Fund www.ivoteforamerica.org A week before the election, TheAtlantic suggested that Husted could end up singlehandedly swinging the outcome:

Say Hello to the Ohio Official Who Might Pick the Next President The Atlantic // Andrew Cohen // 10/29/2012

“On August 31st…a federal judge in Ohio issued a ruling that stymied an effort by Republican officials there to limit early voting dates for hundreds of thousands of registered voters…. Secretary of State Jon Husted, the Republican who had fought for years against voting rights advocates in and out of the courts as a lawmaker and, later, member of the executive branch, initially disregarded Judge Economus’ order. Not just that. He defied it. ….Over the past year, in one election-related fight after another, Husted has proven to be a relentless partisan, the national face of voter suppression.” On the day before the election, the Washington Post suggested that his position as the chief election official in such a hotly contested state could make Husted the most influential person in the country on election day:

Could Ohio’s Jon Husted be the most important person on Election Day? Washington Post // Sean Sullivan // 11/5/2012

“On the eve of Election Day, no other state is receiving more attention than Ohio, a perennial battleground that could well swing the battle for the White House to one side or the other Tuesday. If we all awake Wednesday morning to an outcome in the Buckeye State that is too close to call, we’re going to hear a third name mentioned alongside President Obama and Mitt Romney: Jon Husted, the Republican secretary of state who could find himself in middle of an overtime tussle that could seize the nation’s attention. As the state’s elections chief, Husted would be the principal arbiter in any disputes regarding recounts, ballot issues and other matters pertaining to Tuesday’s vote. … Husted is no stranger to disputes over election protocol and has been involved in fights that have appeared to pit Republicans and Democrats against one another. …Republican-led effort to curb early voting for non-military personnel three days before the election was overturned by a court, and Husted appealed the decision, calling it an “unprecedented intrusion by the federal courts into how states run elections.” The Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal, and ultimately, the 72-hour period before Election Day was opened up to all voters, as Democrats, led by the Obama campaign, had been pushing for.” In 2012, Ohio voters rejected his policies with a citizen’s veto and the courts struck them down in OFA v. Husted. This does not mean that Husted’s voter suppression initiatives had no effect – a report by Ohio Democrats found thousands of instances of voter suppression in 2012, including voters being denied ballots or having their ballots thrown away. Dems Document Thousands Of Cases Of Voter Suppression Missed By Secretary Husted Progress Ohio // Bret Thompson // 06/05/2013

“State Senator Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) and State Representative Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) today released a report documenting thousands of instances of voter suppression - discouraging people from voting, denying voters their ballots, and throwing out votes - that took place during the 2012 general election…Husted…recently released a report… stating that no voter suppression took place…During the last election however, threatening billboards were put up in some of our poorest communities, thousands of Ohio voters’ ballots were thrown out…registrations were wrongly challenged by outside groups trying to purge valid voters, and now voters are being threatened with prosecution by the same election officials who are supposed to…safeguard voters’ fundamental right to vote.”

iVote Fund www.ivoteforamerica.org THE THREAT CONTINUES AS WE LOOK TOWARD 2016

But the fight isn’t over, and Husted is ramping up efforts to limit the electorate in advance of the 2016 Presidential Election. He has already proposed a new set of limits on early voting, which once again threaten to restrict participation in a way that could swing the outcome of what is sure to be a close election.

Ohio will continue to be a critical tipping point in 2016, so removing Husted from office must be one of the most important objectives for Democrats in 2014. Democrat Nina Turner – the current Minority Whip in the Ohio State Senate – launched her candidacy for Secretary of State to challenge Husted in 2014 on July 1.

Turner would be a strong advocate for voting rights, as her recent statements prove: “The citizens of this state deserve a secretary of state who wants people to vote. Not somebody who will use their political clout to try to suppress the vote… The ballot box is the one place where we are all equal.”

To win in 2016, we need Democrat Nina Turner to defeat Republican John Husted for in 2014.

2014 REPRESENTS A CLEAR OPPORTUNITY TO REMOVE HUSTED FROM OFFICE

Husted was elected Secretary of State in the landslide 2010 election by 12 points after outspending his opponent by a 5 to 1 margin. Since being elected, Husted has become extremely unpopular – with an approval rating of 22% in October 2012 and 28% in August 2013. This creates a clear opportunity to remove him from office in 2014.

2010 OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE ELECTION RESULTS

As a result, early polling conducted by PPP in August 2013 had the secretary of state race as a dead heat – with Nina Turner trailing Husted by just one point and a massive pool of undecided voters. Nina Turner is dedicated to changing the tide in Ohio by expanding the vote and ensuring that all ballots are counted.

2014 SECRETARY OF STATE POLL

iVote Fund www.ivoteforamerica.org To win in Ohio, iVote will start by identifying these undecided voters and crafting messages to help them understand just how dangerous Husted is to the state of Ohio and the nation as a whole. After messaging, we will focus on our ground game, by mobilizing volunteers to engage voters and make sure they turn up.

The 2014 general election is November 4, with a voter registration deadline of October 6. The primary election is May 6, with a voter registration deadline of April 7.

THE iVOTE CAMPAIGN PLAN

iVOTE WILL IMPACT SECRETARY OF STATE RACES BY RUNNING THE FOLLOWING TARGETED CAMPAIGN PROGRAMS: • RESEARCH: Conduct polling and focus groups to identify the most effective messages to persuade voters to prioritize voting rights and to motivate progressive voters to increase participation. • ANALYTICS: Use data-driven analytics to identify target voters for persuasion and mobilization.

• GRASSROOTS: Deploy organizers to mobilize grassroots volunteers and community leaders to amplify the iVote message and to educate, persuade, and turn out target voters via local calls, canvasses, and events. • DIGITAL: Create cutting-edge digital strategies to engage supporters and message to target voters via email, social media, online ads, microsites, and video. • MEDIA: Use targeted earned and paid media – such as television, mail, and radio – to amplify and drive the iVote message for persuasion and mobilization.

THE iVOTE TEAM

The iVote Board of Directors includes campaign and policy veterans Jeremy Bird, Doug Sosnik, Ellen Kurz, Michael Blake, Wendy Smith, Ralph Paige, Pete Giangreco, Rachael Cobb and Frank Smith. The iVote advisory team will include 270 Strategies, AKPD, David Binder Research, and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research.

Paid for by iVote Fund, Ellen Kurz, President, 722 12th Street, NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20005. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s campaign committee.

iVote Fund www.ivoteforamerica.org