The people are supposed to have the power to elect leaders to represent and serve them in government and have a voice in shaping laws and policies. The Ohio Constitution states that “All political power is inherent in the people.” However, there are more than one-million eligible citizens in Ohio that are not registered to vote, and less than half of registered voters actually vote in mid-term and off-year elections. Even in the 2024 presidential election year, turnout was less than sixty-five percent. Political leaders who truly care about the rights of the people should take steps to register all eligible citizens, remove barriers, and encourage voting.
We live in a diverse society and voters have different job, family, and logistical constraints that impact their ability to vote. These differences and constraints do not make them lesser citizens. Political leaders have a responsibility and patriotic duty to make sure their voices are heard.
Our country has a track record and safe, secure and fair elections. Americans previously accepted the decisions of the voters and understood that elections are held so that the people can select their leaders and that some candidates win and some lose. This changed in 2020, when President Trump refused to accept his loss even though the outcome was confirmed through every official channel of American electoral and legal systems. In response to losing, he made false claims of widespread voter fraud, never provided any evidence or proof, and encouraged the Jan. 6 assault on the Capital.
Now that he is back in office, Mr. Trump is pushing the SAVE act under the guise of election integrity. However, it is divisive measure will restrict voter participation and make our government less representative. The SAVE act will create a bureaucratic wall and make it harder for young voters, married women, low-income voters, and others to vote.
Ohio Republicans are blindly following their national leader and appear to be supporting the SAVE act and ignoring the people they were elected to serve. Republican leaders have fought against voter initiatives to end gerrymandering and have advocated for policies against the will of the people. In 2023, Ohio voters rejected a Republican amendment to end the power of a majority of Ohio voters to change the Constitution. Later that same year, the people also approved constitutional amendment that gave women the right to make their own reproductive decisions, and legalized recreational marijuana in spite of Republican opposition.
Ohio needs leadership that better represent the people, respects all its citizens, and does not seek to restrict the rights of those with opposing views. In a democracy, the people should choose their leaders; leaders should not have the power to choose their voters. Politicians are trying to make election changes to reverse the progress of history and take voting power from the people. Instead of rigging the system to exclude those with whom they disagree, or those that favor a specific ideology or party, Ohio leadership should work to ensure that every eligible citizen has a voice in government. We need to continue our nation’s journey toward a more perfect union, and continue to move beyond the era when only white male landowners had the right to vote.
For the voices of “we the people” to be heard, steps should be taken to increase voter participation. At the Federal level, Ohio’s Senators and representatives, should vote against the SAVE act. At the state level, government should take action to increase voter registration and participation.
Because our current leaders do not respect the people and the rights granted to them in the Constitution, it is time for new leadership in Ohio.
Tony Klimek is a member of the Butler County Democratic Party Central Committee