LMM Voter Engagement Efforts Continue Following Ohio Voter Purge
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Advocacy, Blog, News
By William Tarter Jr., LMM Director of Advocacy
Earlier this year, the Office of the Ohio Secretary of State completed a periodic review of voters across the State of Ohio. In this review, there were over 150,000 individuals whose names would be “purged” from the voting rolls.[1] Of these 150,000, media reports and voter advocates reported that approximately 400 names listed their address as 2100 Lakeside Avenue, the location of the Men’s Homeless Shelter which is managed by Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM).[2]
At LMM, we make every effort to ensure that resources are available to the residents who are in our care. To that end, several steps were taken in response to these developments:
LMM leadership immediately reached out to and met with leadership from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections to better understand the voter purge process, efforts related to outreach to impacted individuals, and the implications for those who were on the list. Additionally, LMM was able to share insights with the Board of Elections about current voter registration and education efforts on behalf of our residents. This meeting provided a foundation of knowledge that will be helpful when future voter roll reviews take place.
Super Provider Day at the Men’s ShelterAdditionally, every 3rd Thursday of the month, LMM hosts a “Super Provider Day” at our 2100 Lakeside Men’s Shelter. Here, community organizations from across the city and county come to the shelter to provide various services to the men at the shelter. This includes dental checks, medical screenings, employment and training options, recovery services, and other information about social services available in the community.
After the articles were released, LMM invited the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections (BOE) to send a member of its outreach team to volunteer and get individuals registered to vote and/or update their voter registration, which they graciously accepted. We hope to continue to work with the BOE and voter advocacy organizations to educate those who are guests at our shelter, about registering to vote, important election dates, acceptable forms of identification, and other aspects of the voting process.
LMM staff also did a review of the names that were listed on the voter purge rolls and cross-checked that with individuals who are enrolled in the shelter. The data shows that only 16 individuals were on the voter purge rolls that were currently in the shelter. With the average stay at our shelter being a little over 40 days, this should assuage fears that the voter purge did not remove all residents who are currently at the shelter. Even so, it showed that there were many individuals who left the shelter and did not register to vote at their new address (hence why they were removed from the voter rolls). Moving forward, when someone is moving into housing from shelter care, LMM staff will remind people to register or change their address and offer those forms.
Finally, members of the LMM staff are working with other organizations like NEOCH, who also directly work with individuals who are homeless, to develop a voter guide for persons who are homeless. This will not only be a resource for those individuals, but also for other community members who will better understand the unique challenges that persons who are homeless face, and the disproportionate impact of election law changes on more transient populations.
In conclusion, LMM thanks those voter advocates who raised and continue to raise awareness about those who are facing removal from the voter rolls. Their advocacy set into motion changes that ultimately will increase civic engagement from their fellow Ohioans, by being able to participate in the voting process.
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Finally, members of the LMM staff are working with other organizations like NEOCH, who also directly work with individuals who are homeless, to develop a voter guide for persons who are homeless. This will not only be a resource for those individuals, but also for other community members who will better understand the unique challenges that persons who are homeless face, and the disproportionate impact of election law changes on more transient populations.
