News Update on Greater Cleveland Voter Coalition

by Greater Cleveland Voter Coalition

The Greater Cleveland Voter Coalition has been very active in recent months, especially on election reform issues. Representative of the Coalition have testified in person at a number of hearings in Columbus called by the Elections and Ethics Committee of the Ohio House of Representatives. These Coalition members and supporters include: Lillie Bell, Cecil Hickman, Pamela McClarin, Norman Robbins and Jocelyn Travis.

The focus of the Coalition’s testimony has been on House Bill 3 and the companion bill in the Senate, SB3. Full copies of our testimony will be available on this web site soon. A number of other organizations in Ohio that are concerned about election reform have also testified. For copies of the bills and their status, click onto the Ohio state legislature’s web site at www.legislature.state.oh.us.

The Education and Training Committee, chaired by Jocelyn Travis, held a well-attended and informative breakfast for the community on Friday, April 29. Ohio State Representative Annie Key was the guest speaker. Key is a member of the House Elections and Ethics Committee, which has been holding hearings on HB3 and other proposed legislation.

Coalition members Mary Hills, Marcia McCoy, Judy Gallo and Jocelyn Travis all participated in a town hall meeting on Thursday, April 28 at Cuyahoga Community College. The meeting was endorsed by People for the American Way Foundation, 100 Black Men, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the Cleveland AFL-CIO, the Greater Cleveland Voter Coalition and other groups. National spokesperson for People For the American Way Foundation, Rev. Timothy McDonald, discussed the current debate in Congress over the judicial filibuster and the possibility that the “nuclear option” may be used to eliminate the use of the filibuster for judicial nominations. As of April 28,Ohio Senators Voinovich and Dewine had not yet taken a position on this issue. Those in attendance at the town hall meeting were urged to let their senators know how they feel about the issue.

The chair of the Election Reform Committee, Pam Rosado and committee member Judy Gallo co-led a nonpartisan, educational workshop on electoral reform at the recent conference called by the Campaign for a New Ohio on Saturday, April 16 at Cuyahoga Community College. They presented information about various bills currently in the Ohio legislature and encouraged participants to write post cards expressing their views on these bills.

The Coalition’s voter registration committee has been meeting to make plans for registration throughout the summer and early fall at various sites. More volunteers are needed! Sign up today and the Committee chairs will contact you.

Even though the November, 2004 elections are over, there is still more than enough do to make the democratic process work in Ohio. Watch this web site for announcements about the Coalition’s new leadership and about future activities. To get involved call 216-391-0900, ext. 17 or sign up on line on this web site.