Wednesday, September 28, 2016
By GRAIG GRAZIOSI
YOUNGSTOWN
A downtown Youngstown barbershop was center stage Tuesday for a group of Ohio politicians encouraging voter registration.
The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, a group of elected officials from across the state, met with the public Tuesday in a downtown Youngstown barbershop as part of the group’s “Power of the Black Vote” tour.
State Rep. Alicia Reece of Cincinnati, D-33rd, led the event and was joined by state Reps. Michelle Lepore-Hagan of Youngstown, D-58th, state Rep. John Boccieri of Poland D-59th, and Hearcel Craig, D-26th and Kevin Boyce, D-25th, both of Columbus.
The tour – which began in Columbus on Monday and ends in Cincinnati on Wednesday – promotes voter registration in the black community by targeting churches, salons, barbershops and housing projects across the state.
“We know the black community’s vote has power. We know what can happen when black voters turn out,” Reece said. “If you’re mad about what’s happening on the streets you’ve got to take it to the polls.”
The politicians greeted customers and employees at The Starting Lineup barber shop in downtown Youngstown. Reece challenged the employees to promote the importance of voting to their customers, and encouraged them to help potential voters register using the Mahoning County Board of Elections website.
Jerome Franklin, owner of The Starting Lineup, didn’t open his barber shop with politics in mind, but understands why the “Power of the Black Vote” tour is targeting shops like his across the state.
“This is our stage. It’s where we talk, and give our opinions and advice to each other,” Franklin said. “We have people for an hour when they come by, and our customers listen to us. It’s important we use that time to talk about what matters.”
The tour was scheduled to align with National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 27, but also came in the wake of a federal appeals court ruling that the practice of “voter purging” is unconstitutional. Called “supplemental process,” voters who were inactive in elections for more than six years were removed from registration rolls. The ALCU of Ohio filed a federal lawsuit against Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, claiming the process targeted low-income voters.
On Friday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the ALCU, stating the process violated the National Voter Registration Act, which allows for voters to be removed from the registration role only by moving out of the state, dying, or requesting their removal.