CONTACT: Khalilah Billy Worley, Senior Organizer, Greater Cleveland Congregations

773/269-1736

khalilah@gcc-ohio.org 

On the heels of its successful Voter Virginity campaign, which seeks to engage new and lapsed voters in low turnout Cleveland neighborhoods and suburbs, GCC is announcing an action-packed October. Our events seek to engage voters and rally support for Issue 1 to end gerrymandering in Ohio, where politicians have drawn some of the most unfair maps in the country, allowing them to pick voters instead of voters picking them. 

These events are part of GCC’s Battle for Democracy campaign, which seeks to combat voter depression and suppression among low-propensity voters by building long-term relationships with them. Voter suppression is a big problem in Ohio, which has some of the nation’s most restrictive voting laws. Below is a list of the Battle for Democracy events GCC is holding this month. 

• Mon. Oct. 7, 11a-1p: Voter Virginity tabling with young adult voters at Cleveland State University Student Union, 2121 Euclid Ave. Cleve. OH 44115
• Thurs. Oct. 10, 7-8:30p: Action to support Issue 1 and end gerrymandering at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave. Cleve. OH 4411
• Tues. Oct. 29, 10a-2p: Steppin’ and Rollin’ to the Polls with Cleveland Metropolitan School District, a march from Trinity Cathedral to the Board of Elections with over 100 newly-registered 18-year-old senior students followed by a party.
• Sat. Oct. 5 to Election Day: Door-to-door canvassing and phone banking of low-propensity voters at congregations and GCC offices.
• Election Day: GCC members volunteer at the polls to make sure voters know about Issue 1 and are not experiencing any difficulties with voting

Khalilah Worley Billy, senior organizer with GCC, said Issue 1 will end gerrymandering in Ohio by taking the politicians out of the map-making process and putting citizens in charge. “In 2015 and 2018, Ohio voted to end gerrymandered maps,” said Worley Billy. “What we did not do is remove the politicians who created the maps from the process.” 

“GCC’s Battle for Democracy campaign is about bringing the joy back to voting, where it’s been absent too long,” added Keisha Krumm, Executive Director of GCC. “We’re seeing results by building trust and relationships with voters who believe voting can make a difference but feel like their vote doesn’t matter.” According to a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists, GCC’s campaign has increased voter turnout among voters it has contacted.

Below are more details on GCC’s upcoming events. 

VOTER VIRGINITY RALLY

Want to make your first time count? Looking to get back in the game? Young adult voters will be registering new voters, encouraging others to vote, and educating people on Issue 1 on Monday, Oct. 7 from 10:30a-1:30p at Cleveland State University’s student union. 

PLAYING TO WIN: ACTION TO SUPPORT ISSUE 1

Member congregations will gather at Trinity Cathedral in downtown Cleveland on Thursday, Oct. 10 from 7-8:30p for an action in support of Issue 1. There will also be a friend banking campaign to encourage people to vote. Invited politicians include U.S. Senate candidates Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno as well as Ohio Supreme Court candidates Michael Donnelly, Megan Shanahan, Melody Stewart, Joseph Deters, Lisa Forbes and Dan Hawkins. Speakers include Rev. Dr. Lisa Goods, Shiloh Baptist Church; Rev. James Crews, Antioch Baptist Church; Rev. Bernard J (B.J.) Owens, IV, Trinity Cathedral; Evangelist Vikki Jackson, Elizabeth Baptist Church; and De’Mario Steele, Lee Road Baptist Church and Cleveland State University Student. 

STEPPIN’ AND ROLLIN’ TO THE POLLS

Hundreds of first-time voters from Cleveland schools will march or drive from Trinity Cathedral to the Board of Elections to cast their first-ever vote. Together with Cleveland Metropolitan School District, GCC is making voting a rite of passage like getting your driver’s license or going to prom.

CANVASSING AND WORKING THE POLLS

Every weekend from Oct. 5 through Election Day, GCC members and volunteers will be out canvassing and phone banking to engage low-propensity voters in Slavic Village, Lee-Harvard, Central, Fairfax, and Mt. Pleasant as well as the suburbs of Euclid, South Euclid, Cleveland Heights, Warrensville Heights, and Parma Heights.