Locals rally public to register to vote
Trending
NILES -- The League of Women Voters of Trumbull County held a voter registration drive Tuesday -- National Voter Registration Day -- in Boscov's in the Eastwood Mall.
The nonpartisan organization set up a booth from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and provided voter registration forms, instructions for how to register online, absentee ballot request forms, poll worker registration forms and contacts for the Trumbull County Board of Elections. League members were there to encourage people to register and answer any questions they may have about the voting process.
"Voting is one of the most democratic things we get to do in our everyday lives, which is why it is so important," member Kirsten Burkey said.
Polls will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8. Early in-person voting begins Oct. 12.
The local chapter of the LWV holds a registration event on Voter Registration Day each year, although it took a year off in the midst of the pandemic. Burkey said this is one of several voter registration drives the chapter has each year.
This was just one of more than 600 registration events around the country, according to the League of Women Voters of the United States. The greater Youngstown chapter also had events.
"Our No. 1 goal at the League is to ensure that every American has the opportunity to vote," Deborah Turner, president of the League of Women Voters of the United States, said. "As the nation's largest and longest-standing volunteer-driven voter registration organization, we know that registering people to vote provides the pathway to a stronger, more representative democracy."
Along with events, the League of Women Voters of Trumbull County also releases a voter information guide, which will be distributed around the county in mid-October. Member Joanne Siembieda said this is a little later than usual because of how late the second primary election was and because of candidate eligibility questions in the area that were just resolved recently. She said each member of the local chapter is assigned to an area where they will pass out the guides to stores, businesses, churches, senior centers, government building and any other place that would like to put them out for people to pick up.
The deadline in Ohio to register to vote or change any voter information, such as name or address, with the Secretary of State's Office is Oct. 11. This can be done online at ohiosos.gov, in person at the board of elections or by mail. If being done by mail, it must be postmarked by Oct. 11.
All Ohioans who already are registered to vote should have received an absentee ballot request form in the mail. These requests must be returned to the board of elections by noon Nov. 5, and absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 7 and received by the board of elections by Nov. 18.
Early and absentee voting options can be taken advantage of by all Ohioans.