7/29/2019 Senator Nina Turner | March 2013 E-Newsletter

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1 Capitol Square

Room 223

Columbus, Ohio 43215 

T: 614/466.4583 

F: 614/644.6164 

Toll-free: 800/282.0253 

turner@ohiosenate.gov 

www.ohiosenate.gov 

Voter Protection Act 

Introduced  Columbus—The Voter Protection

 Act, unveiled at a Statehouse press

conference in January, would pro-

mote and facilitate the right to vote

by all eligible Ohioans, prevent arbi-

trary disenfranchisement, and en-

courage local boards of elections to

make bipartisan adjustments to best

fit the needs of voters. 

“The Voter Protection Act returns usto the fundamental principle that

legislators, the Secretary of State,

and boards of elections work for the

voters. Our state deserves to be the

gold standard in election process-

es,” Senator Turner said. 

The bill would legislation will in-

crease access to the ballot, ensure

the counting of every eligible vote

and prevent disenfranchisement

due to immaterial mistakes.

Overall, the bill aims to accomplish

six goals: 

▪ Ease provisional voting 

▪ Prevent long lines 

▪ Promote voter registration 

▪ Modernize the law and set the

stage for future improvements 

▪ Protect early voting opportunities 

▪ Advance absentee voting

Governor calls for $2 

billion in new taxes Columbus—Governor Kasich re-

leased his budget on February 4 at

a town-hall event at a small-

business in Columbus. Dubbed“Ohio’s Jobs Budget 2.0”, the plan

calls for a monumental expansion

of the state sales tax to industries

which currently have none. Some

include amusement park admis-

sion, cable TV, school sports event

tickets, and downloaded music andmovies. 

In addition to changes in taxation,

his proposals also discuss intro-

ducing a pool of one-time funds for 

which public schools can apply.

The  grants must be used to

“develop and implement creativeand transformative instructional

models to inspire learning and stu-

dent growth” and are awarded on a

competitive basis. 

Hearings began on February 5 and

will continue throughout the spring.

 After making its way through the

Ohio House, the budget will arrive

in the Senate for further considera-

tion. 

SCOTUS Scrutinizes the

Voting Rights Act  Washington, D.C . - On February 27, the

Supreme Court of the United States ex-

amined Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

The section requires that some states and

cities with a history of racial discrimination

receive approval from the Department of Justice when changing any election regu-

lations. Political entities must prove that

changes to regulation will not result in dis-

enfranchisement of minority populations. 

The challenge comes from Shelby Coun-

ty, Alabama. The county declares that the

VRA provision unfairly targets parts of thecountry that have overcome their troubled

past. 

Though overt racial discrimination by elec-

tions officials is rare, Section 5 has been

used to block voter ID laws, redistricting

changes, and limits on early voting that

could disproportionately affect minorities

in South Carolina, Florida, and Texas.

The elimination of pre-clearance by the

Department of Justice would be a major 

shift of election policy. 

Born on February 21, 1936, in Houston,

Texas, Barbara Jordan was a lawyer 

and educator who was a congresswom-an from 1972 to 1978—the first African

 American congresswoman to come from

the Deep South and the first woman ev-

er elected to the Texas Senate (1966).

She grew up in a poor black neighbor-

hood in Houston, Texas. The daughter 

of a Baptist minister, Jordan was en-couraged by her parents to strive for 

academic excellence. Her gift for lan-

guage and building arguments was ap-

parent in high school, where she was an

award-winning debater and orator. 

 At the 1976 Democratic National Con-

vention, Jordan once again 

captured the public's attention with her 

keynote address. She told the crowd,

"My presence here . . . is one additional

bit of evidence that the American dream

need not forever be deferred." 

 A true trailblazer in American history,

Congresswoman Jordan died in 1996

from complications of leukemia. Source: www.biography.com/people/barbara- jordan-9357991

Women’s

History 

Month Former 

Congress-woman

Barbara

Jordan