The new resource, entitled “College Vote Ohio,” is an all-in-one stop where students, their parents, college administrators and student organizations can find information like voter registration deadlines, how to register to vote or vote absentee, how to decide where they should cast a ballot and a forum for sharing ways to get and keep more young people as active voters.

College Vote Ohio was developed by the Voting Rights Institute in the Secretary of State’s office in collaboration with Ohio college students and administrators.

“Because they often leave home to attend college, students of higher education face unique challenges in participating as voters. College Vote Ohio is a useful tool to help connect college students with their rights to vote as our newest generation of voters.  If we can instill familiarity with the process now, they are more likely to be responsible, lifelong voters in our democracy,” Secretary Brunner said.

College Vote Ohio is also a resource for dormitory Resident Assistants (RAs), college administrators and student organizations that assist students with an active campus life, with downloadable fliers to educate students about voting, and an avenue to share ideas about how to better reach young people during their college years and help them become active civic participants by voting.

The new page can be viewed via the following link: www.CollegeVoteOhio.com

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Media Contacts:
Jeff Ortega, Assistant Director of Communications, Media (614) 466-0473
Kevin Kidder, Media Relations Coordinator (614) 995-2168

Now, on one important measure, he’s backing up his words with action. The Indiana Democrat on Wednesday became the latest senator to sign on as a co-sponsor the Fair Elections Now Act, which would set up a public-financing system for national campaigns.

Bayh joins eight other senators — all either progressive Democrats or those up for election in 2010 — in signing on to the bill. The measure has far broader support in the House and has gained considerable momentum since the Supreme Court ruled that corporations could make unlimited expenditures in a federal campaign.

Haddock died Tuesday night of chronic respiratory illness at her home in Dublin, N.H., said spokeswoman and family friend Maude Salinger. She was surrounded by her son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

In 2000, Haddock walked 3,200 miles to draw attention to campaign finance reform. In 2004, at age 94, she ran for U.S. Senate against Republican Judd Gregg. The subtitle of her autobiography, written with Dennis Burke, was “You’re Never Too Old to Raise a Little Hell.”

“Her age wasn’t a factor in what she did,” Salinger said. “She never gave up. Until the end, she advocated for public funding. She would wanted people to know that democracy and government belongs to us.”

Haddock was born Jan. 24, 1910, in Laconia and attended Emerson College before marrying James Haddock. She later worked at a shoe company for 20 years.

After retiring in 1972, Haddock became more active in community affairs. She became interested in campaign finance reform after the defeat of the first attempt of Sens. John McCain and Russ Feingold to remove unregulated “soft” money from campaigns in 1995. Inspiration for her cross-country trek came from the Tuesday Morning Academy, a group of women in Dublin who met every Tuesday at 8 a.m. to do ballet exercises and discuss world affairs.

“Sometimes I think it was a fool’s errand, but I think there are more people in this country who know what campaign finance reform means since I started,” she told The Associated Press in February 2000.

Covering about 10 miles a day, Haddock walked through more than 1,000 miles of desert, climbed the Appalachian Range in blizzard conditions and even skied 100 miles after snowfall made roadside walking impossible. She started in near-obscurity, but soon was discovered by local and national media.

Burke, who co-wrote Haddock’s memoir, met Haddock as she walked through Arizona on her way to Washington.

“Doris was one of the youngest people I have ever known. She was a little kid about her country — so in love she was with it and so excited for it always,” he said early Wednesday.

In 2004, Haddock jumped into the Senate race on the last day to file after the presumptive Democratic nominee dropped out when his campaign manager was accused of financial fraud. A few months before the election, she officially changed her name to “Granny D,” but stressed that the “D” stood for “Doris,” not her party affiliation. She lost to Gregg 66 to 34 percent.

“It comes down to this — if you want something done right today, you have to run for Congress yourself — or at least send your grandmother,” said.

In recent years, she founded a group that pushed the state Legislature to create the Citizen Funded Election Task Force and attended the task force’s weekly meetings. She was honored at a Statehouse ceremony in January to mark her 100th birthday.

She was working on a new book, “My Bohemian Century,” which focuses on her college days and her Senate campaign and is expected to be published this spring. Haddock had stayed with Burke’s family in Phoenix last month to complete work on it, he said.

Both Democrats and Republicans offered condolences Tuesday night.

“Her commitment to fair and open democracy should inspire us all to work even harder for reform,” state Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley.

“We are always saddened when someone with a genuine commitment to their values and principles passes away,” said Republican Party Chairman John H. Sununu. “Granny D was an unwavering advocate for her beliefs, and her tireless efforts inspired many Granite Staters to participate in our political process,” he said.

In her new book’s dedication, Haddock offers readers advice: “You have to keep the young adventurer inside your heart alive long enough for it to someday re-emerge. It may take some coaxing and some courage, but that person is in you always — never growing old.”

A public memorial service is planned.

Rep. Dan Dodd, who chairs the House Insurance Committee, said he’s concerned that the staff of the Workers’ Compensation Council, which is supposed to review legislation, only completed one legislative analysis during the five months the council was fully staffed.

Dodd said a closer look at the council — which is funded by assessments on Ohio employers that pay workers’ compensation premiums — leaves him wondering “whether employers are getting their money’s worth and what it is exactly that they are paying for.”

Noting that the agency didn’t produce an annual report this year as required, Dodd said, “I don’t know what it would say anyway — it doesn’t look like we did anything.”

The Hebron Democrat is one of a half dozen lawmakers who sit on the council’s board, which also includes representatives of employers, employees and the public.

While the staff has completed only one bill analysis, Dodd noted that more than a dozen bills affecting the workers’ comp system are being considered by lawmakers.

The questions about the council’s productivity come after the only three employees of the agency — executive assistant Stephanie Irwin and staff attorneys Shadya Yazback and Kim Finley — were fired by director Virginia McInerney in mid-February.

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Rep. Dan Dodd

They say they were fired in retaliation for objecting to McInerney’s attempts to force her Christian beliefs on them. They complained that McInerney inquired about their religious beliefs, called them together to pray and blamed Satan for obstacles the staff encountered in their jobs.

McInerney has denied any wrongdoing and said she had no choice but to fire the employees after they approached her with a separation agreement that couldn’t be done under state law.

The council was created by lawmakers in 2007 following a scandal stemming from the bureau’s investments in rare coins, Beanie Babies and other collectibles by former Republican fundraiser Tom Noe, who ended up behind bars for theft and corruption charges. The council’s duties include reviewing the soundness of the bureau and legislation affecting it.

McInerney, who became the director at a salary of $102,500 a year in July 2008, hired the three staff members during July and September 2009. Since having all the staff on board, the council has produced a report on a controversial bill that would block the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation from making changes to the group-rating plan.

The report makes no recommendations and says that the proposed changes are revenue neutral to the workers’ compensation system.

“We don’t need a neutral analysis of what a bill does, what we need is a critical analysis,” Dodd said.

Sen. Steve Buehrer, a Delta Republican who chairs the council, defended the productivity of the staff, saying that it took some time for the them to get oriented to their jobs and to prioritize bills to analyze.

Buehrer said the neutrality of staff recommendations will be discussed at the next council meeting, which has not been scheduled. “How they’re going to operate is still being fleshed out,” Buehrer said.

While Buehrer and the council continue to map out their course, Cleveland lawyer Stuart Garson said the entire operation has been a waste of money so far.

“If you’re not at least going to make a recommendation, why are they there?” asked Garson, a Cleveland lawyer involved in a class action lawsuit against the BWC. “Talk about a meaningless, worthless activity now.”

“In Cuyahoga County, if there is just a two percent undercount of the county’s population, more than $300 million could be lost over ten years,” Brown said at today’s rally. “The Census determines the future of our state. It determines the resources, services, and funding we’ll have available to ensure our children grow up with the education and medical care they need. It determines the funding we’ll have to keep our communities safe and ensure our small businesses can grow.”

Martin J. Sweeney, Cleveland City Council President; Anne Campbell Goodman, President and CEO of the Cleveland Foodbank; and Tom O’Brien, Executive Director of Neighborhood Connections also attended today’s rally.The 2010 census will determine the amount of state and federal funding communities receive for the next decade. More than $400 billion each year is allocated to states based on census data. The Brookings Institution estimates that for every 100 people not counted, Ohio could lose approximately $1.2 million over the next decade. In addition to funding, Ohio could lose as many as two Congressional seats.

Brown released a county-by-county estimate showing how much funding is at stake under different census count scenarios. Census counts determine funding for education, community development, transportation, workforce development, economic development, food banks, home heating assistance, and many other critical programs.

The “Non-Profits Count!” rally was organized by the You Can Count on Me Ohio Campaign, a cooperative effort launched by the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO), Ohio Citizen Action Education Fund, and the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network. The consortium emphas a complete census count, specifically in areas with the highest-concentration of “hard-to-count” census tracts: Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. Hard-to-count census tracts share some demographic indicators such as poverty, unemployment, complex household arrangements, and high mobility. These Ohioans depend and benefit most from the kind of resources and services whose funding is apportioned by the census, like public transportation, mental health services and community development grants.

First, one time boosts in both Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment, and maybe a decrease in the unemployment rate. The Census Bureau will be using an estimated 800,000 temporary workers starting later this month and going for two-three months. This economic boost will accrue to all areas around the country roughly in proportion to each area’s population.

Some key questions that will get answered when the analysis is finished in several months are:

1. Will Ohio continue being the smallest of the seven states having over 10 million people? Based on 2009 population estimates, the other six in descending order are California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, & Pennsylvania. Those estimates also have Michigan as, just barely, the largest of the states with under 10 million.
2. A companion question for Ohioans is how much has the population of each state changed since 2000? For example, Georgia and North Carolina will probably be larger than Michigan and one or both may be larger than Ohio. So Ohio could wind-up being one of nine states with over 10 million people. Will it remain the smallest of the “big” (eight digit population) states?
3. How many Congressional seats will Ohio lose? What matters here is relative growth since the total number of Representatives is fixed at 435. Thus each state’s percent of the U.S. population determines its share of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ohio’s current estimated population of 11.5 million people hasn’t changed much since the 2000 Census when it was roughly 11.3 million. However, the U.S. population has grown from roughly 281 Million in 2000 to an estimated 307 Million in 2009, slightly over nine percent. So the question is whether Ohio will lose one, two, or possibly three seats in Congress.
4. A similar situation looms for a loss in electoral votes come 2012. Ohio currently has 20 and Illinois and Pennsylvania each have 21. Ohio will have less than 20 electoral votes and Illinois or Pennsylvania might also wind-up with under 20. This has major implications for presidential election clout.
5. Will the rankings of Ohio’s major cities, counties, and metropolitan areas change? For roughly three decades Columbus has been Ohio’s largest city if one looks just at population within a city’s corporate limits. Cleveland remains second. However Cuyahoga County is now only slightly larger than Franklin County. Greater Cleveland is Cuyahoga plus some contiguous areas. “Northeast Ohio” is basically the old 216 area code and is still Ohio’s largest metroplex (or “region”). The answers here will determine the relative standing in the Ohio General Assembly for Northeast Ohio and each of its numerous governmental entities.    and
6. Will Cleveland, Greater Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and many of the smaller governmental entities in Northeast Ohio fall under certain population thresholds and therefore not qualify for special kinds of assistance from various state and federal agencies? If yes, those areas’  fiscal situations could become worse and could also adversely affect the benefits to individuals in those areas.

As noted in many places including earlier columns here, it definitely counts to be counted.

Last week, the court delayed enforcement of subpoenas issued to people affiliated with LetOhioVote.org, the group seeking the referendum on whether to add electronic slot machines at horse tracks, as well as to Tim Crawford, president of New Models, the Virginia-based nonprofit that was LetOhioVote.org’s sole source of funding last year.

Yesterday, the court also delayed a subpoena issued to Norm Cummings, identified as a consultant for LetOhioVote.org living in Colorado. Cummings and Crawford had argued that Brunner cannot issue subpoenas out of state.

LetOhioVote.org, Crawford and Cummings also argue that the Ohio Elections Commission – not Brunner – has the authority to investigate. LetOhioVote.org reported that New Models contributed $1.55 million last year, but New Models doesn’t file campaign reports listing its donors.

The court told both sides to file arguments and responses in the next several days to decide whether Brunner has the legal authority to investigate the matter and issue the subpoenas. She thinks she does, a spokesman said.

Dr. Salling is Director of Northern Ohio Data and Information Service (NODIS)and Levin College Fellow at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University.

Dr. Salling manages a team of researchers, programmers, GIS Specialists, and student employees involved in data dissemination, demographic analysis, and urban and GIS applications. He also serves at the Research Director at The Center for Community Solutions. He is the State of Ohio’s Liaison to the Census Bureau for its redistricting data programs and is Chairman and Key Person for the Cleveland Census Statistical Areas Committee (CenSAC). He also serves on the Council of the Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program (OGRIP), representing higher education. At the national level, Dr. Salling has been active in the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA), is a past board member, and has been the editor of the URISA Conference Proceedings since 1986. He is chair of the Core Committee of GISCorps which matches GIS professionals to volunteer opportunities in underprivileged communities, particularly in developing countries. He was the recipient of URISA’s 1988 and 2000 Service Awards. He is also a member of the Association of Public Data Users (APDU).

Dr. Salling has published papers dealing with computer applications in planning, data dissemination, geographic information systems, poverty, residential mobility, environmental equity, and demography. He was a recipient of a Visiting Fellowship from the National Science Foundation-funded National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis. He has taught courses on GIS, urban geography, statistical and computer methods, and demography. He holds a B.A. and Ph.D. in Geography from Kent State University and an M.A. in Geography from the University of Cincinnati. He is a certified GIS Professional (GISP) by the Geographic Information Systems Certification Institute (GISCI).