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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > December > 10 > Entry
Editorial: ACORN suit gets good result for Ohio voters
ACORN did a good thing.
Back in 2006, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now filed a lawsuit to get Ohio to really enforce a federal law. That law requires states to offer voter registration assistance to people who do business with state agencies.
At the time, the basic complaint of ACORN, a self-proclaimed advocate for the poor, was that Ohio agencies that serve poor people weren’t fully complying with the law.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services was a target of the suit, along with then-Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, whose job made him responsible for enforcing the act, ACORN said.
The Job and Family Services Department argued that the workers who come into contact with most clients are employed by counties, so the burden should be on counties.
The ACORN suit was thrown out of court at the time, but was reinstated by a federal appellate court a year ago. Now, with different people in state office, Ohio has settled with ACORN, accepting the thrust of its complaint.
The state promises to have front-line workers trained to help clients complete their registrations. The workers will be equipped with the necessary information in their computers. The registration forms will be included with other forms given to clients. ACORN says this could result in hundreds of thousands of new registrations. It bases that judgment partly on similar victories elsewhere.
How many of the new registrants would actually vote is another question. Perhaps not many, given that we’re talking about people who were not necessarily motivated to take the trouble to register. But in certain high-intensity elections — like the presidential one in 2008 — they might go to the polls.
Even as this case was being settled, Ohio was considering other reforms to its registration system — most important, making registration an automatic result of, say, getting a driver’s license. But that kind of change requires the legislature to act.
The ACORN settlement is about changes that can be made administratively.
ACORN has come in for a lot of criticism lately, some justified, some overblown. It has been widely portrayed by frenetic right-wing warriors as a menace to society. So when it does something useful, that should be noted.
Whatever the impact of the settlement, there’s no question but that the new arrangement is the way the federal law is supposed to work. The idea — referred to as Motor Voter — was never simply to allow registration at public agencies. It was to reach out.
Some people take offense at the idea of the state reaching out. They say citizens ought to take the initiative of getting themselves registered. In truth, though, the registration system in most states is unnecessarily burdensome. The whole idea of pre-election registration has been found by some states and other countries to be unnecessary.
The government certainly shouldn’t resist reform solely on the premise that burdens on citizens are a good thing. That’s the worst kind of big government: totally gratuitous.
Permalink | Comments (44) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Elections, Martin Gottlieb, Ohio government, Ohio politics
Comments
By Philman
December 10, 2009 7:05 PM | Link to this
Lets be honest airheads at the ddn, if you aint gotta enuff cents to fill out a registration kard, you prbly shud not be VOTING ANYWAY……..
By Stan
December 10, 2009 7:14 PM | Link to this
Most of these people impacted are too dumb to vote anyway. I don’t want them anywhere near the polls if they can’t be educated - whatever point of view they take.
By Phooey!
December 10, 2009 7:48 PM | Link to this
Just because people stumble into a State office, doesn’t mean they should be franchised to vote. I’m sick to death about those who feed off the system consistently voting in mass numbers to increase tax burdens on the rest of us who are told we are “fring extremeists” because we realize that we are taken to the cleaners by every governement function and aren’t afraid to say “That’s enough! To think this settlement is a plus, again displays how out of touch the DDN and all levels of government are when it comes to those of us who pay. & pay, & pay…
By voter
December 10, 2009 8:11 PM | Link to this
wow, a fully goverment funded org. biting the hand that feeds it, are you serious, this 2009 if someone cannot read, they probably do not want too. Millions and millions of people learn to read every year. Acorn should be put on the Homeland Security Terrorism List.
By voter
December 10, 2009 8:15 PM | Link to this
wow, a fully goverment funded org. biting the hand that feeds it, are you serious, this 2009 if someone cannot read, they probably do not want too. Millions and millions of people learn to read every year. Acorn should be put on the Homeland Security Terrorism List.
By Alexis de Tocqueville
December 10, 2009 8:30 PM | Link to this
“A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.” The good result for Ohio voters is not necessarily a good result for Ohio’s taxpayers
By here come the judge
December 11, 2009 6:44 AM | Link to this
it amazes me that you never here a peep out of the DDN on the county judges, especially Langer. Oh wait, thats because Ellen Belcher is married to Langer. Gee, no bias going on there, then again what do you expect out of the liberal DDN? Come on Ellen, be honest for once..will ya? Do you really hate “right wingers” like your editorial portrays? well..we hate lib activists like you right back..
By Kurt
December 11, 2009 6:52 AM | Link to this
Pure communism, to allow parasites to vote, who don’t ever pay any of the freight, but, how much more of this crap are we going to take, before we stop it, by any means necessary.
By parental
December 11, 2009 7:07 AM | Link to this
Yeah, and Hitler made the trains run on time. ACORN is an organization that should be disbanded. Why does the DDN feel it necessary to stand up for an organization that has done so many illegal things?
By gutter
December 11, 2009 7:27 AM | Link to this
Knowing something about this here’s the problem: The developementally disabled who decide to vote usually vote the way the person who is helping them suggests. This in effect gives the social worker or whoever extra votes.
By Raoul
December 11, 2009 9:01 AM | Link to this
What a piece of crockery by the DDN editorial board. Just because you are poor doesn’t mean you need help registering to vote. We certainly don’t need to have our tax money go to state or county employees so they can help poor people vote for more tax money. We have reached a point where the poor need to step up to the plate and stop being aided and abetted by a wet nursing government that keeps them down instead of letting them rise above.
By Bill
December 11, 2009 9:27 AM | Link to this
Ignorance is apparently rampant, but not necessarily among those who visit the Dept. of Jobs and Family Services. This Dept. provides, among other things, unemployment, career counseling, education and training, job placement, adoption assistance, employer assistance, child protection, adult protective services, foster care licensing, food assistance, disability assistance, and handles Medicaid, which, among other assistance, helps thousands of seniors remain in nursing homes when private insurance and medicare runs out. To assume all those who visit the dept, are stupid, dumb or parasites is truly disgusting, anti-American and anti-democratic. I just hope none of the bitter people responding previously ever need any help at all for themselves or their loved ones.
By RAW
December 11, 2009 10:34 AM | Link to this
Bill is correct in his statement that not everyone visiting the DJ&FS is a parasite, especially in the local area given the decline of many industries in the region. However, on principle, I must object to forced voter registration or registration assistance. If a citizen is not willing to go to the county registrar’s office to fill out a card that takes about 10 minutes to complete, than they hav e no business voting. Ohio’s method of registration prior to this change was hardly cumbersome. There were several places that you could go to register, and the process was quick enough. This is just another confirmation that liberals do not believe in, nor support, personal initiative and responsibility.
By Another voter
December 11, 2009 10:52 AM | Link to this
Well said Bill. I will also point out that voting is a right given to all citizens of a democracy, not just the wealthy elite. It seems many of the them would like to return to the days when only white land owners could vote. Ensuring the right of all citizens to vote regardless of their means or background is part of what makes this country great. The previous responders would do well to remember this.
By Billyg
December 11, 2009 11:53 AM | Link to this
Ah, the Ohio rascism rampantly exhibited!How does it feel to be a failure in your bigoted ways? May your next health care appointment make you poor and destitute-then I will wait for your new found wisdom.
By Billyg
December 11, 2009 11:55 AM | Link to this
Ah, the Ohio rascism rampantly exhibited!How does it feel to be a failure in your bigoted ways? May your next health care appointment make you poor and destitute-then I will wait for your new found wisdom.
By joe_mamma
December 11, 2009 12:00 PM | Link to this
There is not a right for every citizen of the U.S.. For instance convicted criminals cannot vote. There are also every state and locality has residency restrictions. There are age restrictions etc… Also…we are not a democracy. We are a Democratic Republic.
By The Professor
December 11, 2009 12:02 PM | Link to this
Ah, the Ohio rascism rampantly exhibited! How does it feel to be a failure with your fellow man? May your stupidity on healthcare, at your next doctor appointment, make you poor and destitute—then I will await your next blog writings of newly found wisdom!
By A. Corn
December 11, 2009 5:09 PM | Link to this
As we said in Chicago before the November, 2008 election, “Vote early and vote often”.
By drunken orangetree
December 11, 2009 6:32 PM | Link to this
What Ohioans really need to do is spend more of their energy on bigotry. Everything else is going swimmingly.
By Kurt
December 12, 2009 7:41 AM | Link to this
President Bush—4.5% unemployment—stock market 13,200-a strong dollar, and not attacked for eight years,—-hey airheads who voted for Dumbama—do you miss Bush yet??
By scoobydo
December 12, 2009 7:59 AM | Link to this
“Pure communism, to allow parasites to vote,” and I suppose you support the constitution too. Maybe you should spend some time reading it, there is NO IQ test to become a voter, good thing for all the bigots here. Let me help all of you that seem to have forgotten: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Self explanatory, so stupid people can vote just as you bigots can.
By scoobydo
December 12, 2009 8:16 AM | Link to this
2008 jobless rate; June 5.6, July 5.8, Aug 6.2, Sept 6.2, Oct 6.6, Nov 6.8, Dec 7.2, Jan 7.6. He ran from solving this just like he ran way from ending his two wars for no reason but lies, you remember that? No WMD’s, NO chemical nor bio. Nothing NADA, all lies form the previous administration, you remember that. “not attacked for eight years” just what history book you read? He has the HONORS to have the biggest attacked on our homeland in history, that is really something to be proud of, that date was 9-11-2001, Bush took office in Jan 2001, you remember that. People do remember that and do not miss the liar in chief at all.
By Gareth Hyden
December 12, 2009 12:52 PM | Link to this
The truth is Acorn assisted in getting thousands of votes for Obama from people that didn’t even exist. Acorn is corrupt and should be forced to close down all over the country. They are community organizers like the czars President Obama has working for him now. You can’t cover up corruption with one thing you perceive as good.
By drunken orangetree
December 12, 2009 1:29 PM | Link to this
Gareth, you are talking about voter fraud. Care to show us any evidence whatsoever that such a crime occurred. The czar remark is too dumb to even respond to.
By kurt
December 13, 2009 8:12 AM | Link to this
Scoobydoo is without question getting taxpayer money one way or the other, the fact is, until the democrats took over congress in 2006, the econimic numbers were great, and now with this little lying manchild, who could not run a Kool aid stand, folks, we have elected our own destruction, Mark that.
By Leslie
December 14, 2009 2:57 PM | Link to this
DO, I know we have told you this before and you still like to deny it. But there was an actual conviction of voter fraud by an ACORN employee and yes it happened here in Ohio. Then there were also people in Ohio that did not receive their absentee ballots and when they called to find out about their ballots, they were told that they had already voted. Facts are something that drunks have a hard time comprehending.
By alan
December 14, 2009 3:22 PM | Link to this
WHO WROTE THIS EDITORIAL?? Who is the coward spreading these deceptive and biased praising of one of the most corrupt anti-2nd amendment political organizations we have today. NAME PLEASE!! 06/06 ACORN takes state court case defending Jersey Cities ordinances to restrict hand gun purchases. DEFEATED IN STATE COURT. 2008 Acorn in Raleigh NC lobbies to have background purchases on ammunition swamping the states background check system. NBC17 Television reports “Acorn’s initiative may even include a requirement for bullet permits”!! 2006 Chicago Participated in anti-gun rally falsely describing semi-automatic weapons as AUTOMATIC. 09/09 filmmakers O’Keefe and Giles catch ACORN workers in 5 cities giving advice on how to run and conceal whorehouse operations and human trafficking from El Salvador!!! Over the years ACORN has received millions in fire prevention safety that would have gone to fire departments who are better able to do it and give smoke alarms to poor people. The LIST GOES ON! Why look for good in something that is rotten to the core! Good my eye!!
By riverat
December 14, 2009 6:33 PM | Link to this
In Ohio you can register at ANY public library!! Not that hard. The library will even help if needed. If you can’t take the initiative to do this, maybe you don’t need to vote!!!!!!!!!!
By drunken orangetree
December 14, 2009 7:19 PM | Link to this
Leslie, links? I found one, ONE, case of voter fraud associated with ACORN in Ohio. I’ll match that one case up with the thousands of cases of fraud perpetrated by Ken Blackwell in 2004, in support of bush.
By Argil Vanatta
December 15, 2009 6:28 PM | Link to this
Yesterday, the democrat senate voted to fund Acorn! What kind of people are they in the senate? Influenced by the President and the Czars, I’m sure. From my perspective we need a formal investigation of Acorn and shut them down across the country. Obama was hooked up with them as their lawyer back when. I see corruption in the air.
By Argil Vanatta
December 15, 2009 6:30 PM | Link to this
Yesterday, the democrat senate voted to fund Acorn! What kind of people are they in the senate? Influenced by the President and the Czars, I’m sure. From my perspective we need a formal investigation of Acorn and shut them down across the country. Obama was hooked up with them as their lawyer back when. I see corruption in the air.
By Argil Vanatta
December 15, 2009 6:30 PM | Link to this
Yesterday, the democrat senate voted to fund Acorn! What kind of people are they in the senate? Influenced by the President and the Czars, I’m sure. From my perspective we need a formal investigation of Acorn and shut them down across the country. Obama was hooked up with them as their lawyer back when. I see corruption in the air.
By Argil Vanatta
December 15, 2009 6:31 PM | Link to this
Yesterday, the democrat senate voted to fund Acorn! What kind of people are they in the senate? Influenced by the President and the Czars, I’m sure. From my perspective we need a formal investigation of Acorn and shut them down across the country. Obama was hooked up with them as their lawyer back when. I see corruption in the air.
By Argil Vanatta
December 15, 2009 6:31 PM | Link to this
Yesterday, the democrat senate voted to fund Acorn! What kind of people are they in the senate? Influenced by the President and the Czars, I’m sure. From my perspective we need a formal investigation of Acorn and shut them down across the country. Obama was hooked up with them as their lawyer back when. I see corruption in the air.
By drunken orangetree
December 15, 2009 6:33 PM | Link to this
Argil, link for this assertion?
By Billy Weisenberger
December 16, 2009 3:07 PM | Link to this
I think Acorn is pathetic! It is obvious the Obama people pushed the senate the other night for federal funding for Acorn. Acorn assured voters got to the board of elections to vote for Obama. They also were in the media for some illegal activities recently. This just shows what kind of a corrupt govt. we have in Washington! We had better stop them before this goes too far.
By drunken orangetree
December 16, 2009 5:02 PM | Link to this
What funding for ACORN? Would you wingnuts provide some evidence for your paranoia?
By Leslie
December 17, 2009 10:42 AM | Link to this
Dec 8th in the House Year-End appropriations bill.
By drunken orangetree
December 17, 2009 2:11 PM | Link to this
Leslie, LOL. You can’t find a bill with an appropriation for ACORN. Why pretend?
By Leslie
December 18, 2009 11:37 AM | Link to this
DO, I gave you the bill sorry you have a problem with FACTS.
By drunken orangetree
December 19, 2009 1:17 AM | Link to this
Leslie, give me a link to the bill, please.
By Squirrellygirl
December 21, 2009 1:23 PM | Link to this
Will this result in more voter fraud? Geez, I don’t trust ACORN, especially after those secret videos revealed their real agenda. How can we make people do their jobs…like Jennifer Brunner, who refused to investigate voter registration and voter fraud?? We should make everyone show their drivers license when they vote and when they register. There shouldn’t be any absentee votes allowed since we know voter fraud exists. We can’t even trust the last election was right.
By Squirrellygirl
December 21, 2009 1:29 PM | Link to this
How do you feel about the same gov’t that released “Joe the Plumber’s” private information having access to your private medical records? You ready for Jobs and Family Services to have access to this information? They are the same agency that released Joe’s info. to the media.