On Wednesday, the League of Women Voters of Ohio visited Wilder Bowl with their new promotional Airstream vehicle. Volunteers from LWVO worked alongside OC Votes students and faculty to register eligible Oberlin students to vote and inform them about Ohio voting policies.
The Airstream has been traveling to colleges across the state. People ages 18–24 have the lowest voter registration and turnout rate of any age group in Ohio, and across the United States. According to Trevor Martin, the coordinator for this voter registration campaign, less than 60 percent of the 18–24-year-old age group are registered to vote in Ohio, and only about 50 percent voted in the last election. Martin hopes the LWVO campaign will get more young people on track to vote.
“They say every year is important — ‘this is the election!’ — but there’s truly a lot on the line, so we just want to educate and inform young students, dispel any misconceptions, and take down any barriers they have to make sure they get to the ballot box and make their voices heard,” Martin said.
The LWVO and student volunteers also informed students of Ohio’s specific voting rules. To vote in person in Ohio, the voter must bring an Ohio state ID such as a driver’s license or their passport. A state ID for another state is not sufficient. However, if a student wants to vote in Ohio without their passport, they can vote with an absentee ballot, which is sent in the mail. LWVO provided forms for students to request an absentee ballot for either Ohio or their home states.
Deb Cocco, president of the LWV of Lorain County, noted that especially with Ohio’s specific rules, voting can feel overwhelming.
“It can feel hopeless, but by not voting, you’re actually voting,” she said. “My suggestion is by opting out, by not investigating where you want your vote to go, by not finding out where people stand on gun violence, women’s reproductive rights, public education, you’re allowing other people to make the choice for you. Even if it feels like, ‘what use is it?’”
Martin also wanted to remind students that there are items on the ballot in November beyond the presidential election.
“Voting isn’t only nationally,” he said. “Some folks may feel like they don’t have a big voice in a presidential election, but in Ohio, it’s still a bit of a purple state, it could go either way. … Some of those candidate races [and] some of those issue elections will come down to a handful of votes.”
The LWVO will continue on to about 20 more college campuses for registration events in the coming weeks. Oberlin students can continue to register to vote, request absentee ballots, and update their addresses at VoteOhio.gov or at other OC Votes events this fall.
