Registering Voters
In Cleveland Municipal School District: An
ongoing volunteer project in collaboration with school district
officials. Volunteers trained teachers and student groups to register
voters, or registered students directly. Results to date: 2010
- 851 registrations 2011- 950 registrations.
In the community: At Dave's Markets (12 stores) in Cleveland and
inner-ring suburbs. Results to date: 2010 - 500 registrations
during primary and general election registration drives.
At government agencies: As a result of conversations between NOVA
and Juvenile Court officials, beginning in June, 2011, staff in
Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court probation offices now make voter
registration applications available to all age-qualified juvenile
probationers.
Training Volunteers
Prior to serving as registrars, all NOVA volunteers receive training
in registering new voters and updating registrations of voters
(address change, name change, etc.). New registrars are given
the opportunity to work with experienced teams if they feel the
need for further training. All registration events are compiled
in a master schedule approved by the NOVA board.
Research and Advocacy
Ongoing analysis of Cuyahoga County Board of Elections database
to determine common types of errors in registrations submitted
by various agencies and community organizations including NOVA,
in order to encourage quality control in registrations and increase
the number of qualified voters.
Testifying and submitting research data for the legislature during
consideration of HB194 and SB148 and HB159 (Omnibus election bills
and photo-ID requirement bill).
Analyzing voting patterns of the many new registrants in 2008
election to determine whether the 2008 registration drives affected
voter turnout, compared to similar precincts where there was less
activity in persons updating their registrations; updating is
a significant variable in low-income areas where many voters move
frequently.
Participation in State of Ohio committees
Participated (2006-2010) in: Secretary of State's Voting Rights
Institute Advisory Council, Secretary of State's National Voting
Rights Act Leadership Team, Secretary of State's Voter Rights
Institute Youth Group.
Future Plans
In schools: NOVA will continue registering new voters in collaboration
with the Cleveland Municipal School District. NOVA is exploring
collaboration with several suburban school districts that have
populations underrepresented on the voting rolls. The goal is
to get some of these efforts underway in the 2011-12 school year.
In the community: NOVA hopes to expand its community outreach
(encouraging registration and mail-in of absentee ballot applications)
by working with public libraries in Cuyahoga County.
For volunteers: NOVA will continue to train new volunteers and
retrain current volunteers to comply with any new provisions affecting
registrars in any bill passed by the Ohio General Assembly.
NOVA will respond to any new election rules in order to maximize
the chances of underserved communities being able to vote successfully.
This will include community outreach, research, and advocacy.
