How a Democratic “Minority-Engagement Program” Is Fighting Ohio’s Voter-Roll Purges and Their Impact on Black People
The Ohio Democratic Party has created a program designed to target black voters and capitalize on community grassroots voter initiatives ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
The “minority-engagement program” was established earlier this year, just before the Supreme Court ruled that states can kick people off of voter rolls if they haven’t participated in several elections and failed to respond to a notice from election officials, as reported by the The New York Times. The Times recently reported that Ohio is “more aggressive than any other state in purging its voter rolls,” and noted that the state’s purging process, which critics say disproportionately affects Democrats, is initiated after one missed federal-election cycle.
Editorial endorsement: For Congress: Rep. Joyce Beatty
With this year’s midterm elections as important as any in memory, Franklin County voters will help determine the balance of power in Washington D.C. when they vote for congressional representatives this fall. For reasons to follow, The Dispatch endorses re-election for Rep. Joyce Beatty.
House Democratic Women Launch Organization to Support Female Candidates in the “Year of the Woman”
Washington, DC — Today, leading female Members of Congress announced the launch of “Elect Democratic Women,” a new organization inspired by the “Year of the Woman,” to elect more pro-choice Democratic women to Congress than ever before, as well as build a base of support to ensure female incumbents are re-elected in the years to come.
While 51% of Americans are female, only one in five Members of Congress are women. Elect Democratic Women was formed out of a recognition that women bring a unique and vital perspective to solving the urgent challenges facing American women and their families, and that by electing more Democratic women to Congress, we will have a more fair, just, and equitable society for all Americans.
Democrats focus on mobilizing black voters to turn Ohio blue
Democrats are targeting black voters in the battleground state of Ohio as key to victory in a state they lost to President Donald Trump in 2016.
The months-long effort was highlighted when former President Barack Obama made a stop in Cleveland last week to campaign for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray, where he delivered a plea for voters to turnout on Election Day. In addition to the governor’s race, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is running for re-election and there are competitive congressional races that could be key to determining which party controls the House.
Rep. Beatty dances to Drake’s ‘In My Feelings’ to promote millennial voting
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, took to social media Friday to participate in the “#InMyFeelingsChallenge” to encourage young people to vote in the midterm elections this November.
In a video on her Twitter page that has garnered more than 14,000 views, Beatty can be seen stepping out of a white car in front of the Capitol Building in an all-white suit and matching white heels and then dancing with two staffers to rapper Drake’s “In My Feelings.” The song recently sparked a social media challenge in which people do various dance moves to the song’s upbeat tempo and loud bass.
Rep. Joyce Beatty scolds HUD’s Ben Carson for lack of response to her letters
WASHINGTON — They say you have to send a letter to get a letter, but at a congressional hearing Wednesday, it became evident that U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty is not getting letters from Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.
Instead, she complained that for the second time in a year, she has written to Carson questioning a policy being implemented at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, only for it to be ignored for months, with only a Carson aide eventually responding to her.