Thread by @MishaBarnes1

For reporters and political pundits questioning why Ohio’s statewides performed so differently than other states, let me introduce you to one of the most sophisticated voter suppression efforts in the country. #2022Elections #Ohio

Thanks to 2.4 million purged voters - majority are under 35 and Dem - cumbersome vote-by-mail policies with no online request portal, & rules that prevent NGOs from working with county BOEs to register voters OH consistently has the lowest turnout in the Midwest.

While other states have expanded voting policies for automatic and same day voter registration Ohio actually got rid of the one week when voters could register and vote at the same time. These policies make our electorate redder than our people.

So what does Ohio’s possible electorate look like? We have 569,837 unregistered eligible Black voters in Ohio. There are 169,982 unregistered Latino voters in Ohio. We have 72,532 unregistered, eligible AAPI voters. Unregistered eligible voters under 35 exceed 1,500,000.

Ohio’s electorate can support statewide progressive victories. It’s whether we make a choice to invest in those voters. Tim Ryan lost the Senate race by 264,675 votes. He improved Biden’s margins in 85 of 88 counties. However, 471,995 FEWER Ohioans voted this year than in 2018.

If we were to register and turnout 10% of the possible electorate in Ohio - not even including doubling down on turnout efforts of people who are already registered - we could add over 230,000 new progressive voters. More than enough to get candidates across the finish line.

Whether we disregard the 2.3 million eligible unregistered POC and youth voters in Ohio or built a future winning electorate is a choice. We can choose to let Ohio slide further toward Right wing extremism, or we can get to work building something new.

Divestment is not a winning strategy. For those of us leading on the ground in Ohio, our choice is clear. We double down and get to work building the future electorate.