This is a very critical time in Ohio. Republican Governor Kasich's agenda is to eliminate union rights and hinder the middle class, defund education, and the terrifying attempt to steal voting rights from students and the working poor.
The College Democrats of Ohio has risen to the challenge and is fighting hard against the governor. We are proud to do our part to keep this state ready for Obama in 2012 and to re-elect U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown for his second term.
Before the Election
College Democrats of Ohio held statewide voter registration drive and a concentrated GOTV effort in the last week of the election. In the last week, eight of our chapters knocked on 15,000 doors, thats 8 schools hitting about 2,000 doors per day. Consequently, Governor Kasich's margin of victory was the least of any incoming Republican governor in the country.
Fighting cuts to education
The governor made it clear he was ready to slash education long before he took office. He cited inefficiencies in the system and professors not working hard enough. Funny he should say that:
John Kasich spent seven years ‘working’ for OSU. He was paid $50,000 a year and his assistant was paid $20,000 a year – and all he had to do was show up once a month and give a lecture.
In response to this, we organized protestson his Inaugural Day specifically against his idea to cut education. We made the nightly news in several Ohio media markets, and prevented Kasich from having a perfect media day.
The story didn't have a happy ending though, Kasich would move to cut funding to universities 25% while the next budget would have an increase in spending. And he would drastically increase the salaries of his personal staff, beyond six figures. He complains teachers were overpaid...
THEFT of voting rights...
Now we contend with HB159, which would require all residents to show a government ID in order to vote. Why is this a big deal? For one, these IDs are expensive. It constitutes an indirect poll tax.
Secondly, students typically do not have IDs with their dorm addresses, or off campus housing residencies. Students move as much as every year, even more if they switch dorms. It is unreasonable to expect a student to pay for a brand new ID every time.
The current law says a utility bill or other kind of statements can be used at the polls, which is very convenient to students, the inner-city poor, and everyone else who is a mobile population.
The bill was introduced and passed the House when students were on Spring Break (coincidence?) and now the fight is in the Senate.
We don't have all the funding in the world, so if you would like to contribute a few dollars please go to https:/ohiodems.org...
Please check out all we do:
Our website
The Kasich Project
Help us out :)
We never stop fighting, there is too much at stake and the Governor has already taken away so much.