Steubenville rally urges voters to cast ballots early
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STEUBENVILLE -- Organizations affiliated with the No Kings network have been holding protest events around the country at different times during the last 16 months, with participants showing their displeasure with the administration of President Donald Trump.
Those groups came together Saturday to encourage people to vote in the Nov. 3 election.
“This is another No Kings event, but it’s little different, because we have one goal in mind, and that’s to get out the vote and get people to vote early. It’s an alternative, and a way to skip the polls on Election Day, and it makes it a little easier,” said Marjie DeFede of the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Organization for Women.
“We believe that the sentiment is that the party that will win this election will be the party that gets the most voters out there,” she added.
NOW was one of three local organizations that joined to hold informational gatherings in communities on both sides of the Ohio River urging people to vote early. Also participating were members of Ohio Valley Indivisible and the Midwest Center for Constitutional Rights. After distributing fliers and pamphlets describing the early voting process, they gathered at the intersection of University Boulevard and Seventh Street for a honk-and-wave rally.
“We’re here to promote early voting in this particular election year because of the size of the turnout that they are expecting for this election,” said J. David Core of Toronto, who was helping DeFede keep paperwork straight inside the North End shelter. “Early voting is a benefit for anyone who wants to vote. Nobody should lose their chance to vote. There’s also some concern, maybe grounded, maybe not, that there might be some issues at the polls.”
Saturday’s local rallies were among hundreds that were held across the United States and came a little more than two weeks before the election.
While there are numerous races around the country that are attracting a lot of attention, two of the most closely watched are in Ohio -- the battle between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Dr. Amy Acton for governor and the contest between Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown. The winner of that seat will fill the remainder of the term of J.D. Vance, who left the Senate to become vice president.
That Senate seat is one the ones the Democrats think they must win if they are to succeed in taking control of the Senate.
Turnout for Saturday’s events was light, but Core said it’s important for rallies to be held.
“I think an event like this helps people who worry that there’s no support for what they are doing. It lets them know there is support right there. Does it change people’s minds? I don’t know that it does.”
The rallies were billed as nonpartisan events, but the participants took advantage of the opportunity to urge change in how the country is being run.
“This is about getting people into office who will hold Trump accountable, and not let him do whatever he wants,” said Louis Golar of Follansbee. “I don’t care whether they are independent, Green Party, whatever -- as long as they are not kiss-the-ring GOP.”
The way to do that is by getting out and voting, he said.
“I’m a firm believer that if you don’t do something about it, then you have no right to complain, so you have to put the effort in yourself,” Golar added. “My father was a West Point lifer in the Army, and he told me, ‘America, love it or change it.’ You know, that’s the whole purpose of voting. He’s the one who taught me to vote.”
Fred Goddard of Bergholz agreed.
“We are demonstrating to encourage everyone to vote their conscience,” he explained.
That’s why he said that getting out and voting is so critical.
“It’s important for everyone to have a say in who represents them,” Goddard added. “Regardless of who they vote for, we want everyone to participate.”
Early voting is underway in Ohio. Beginning Monday, it will be available daily through Nov. 1. There will be no early in-person voting held on Nov. 2. West Virginia’s early voting period will open Wednesday. Whether you vote early or on Election Day, it’s important to vote, rally organizers said.
“That’s really the critical thing. Yes, it would be nice to get out the vote early, and now you can do that,” said Richard Olivito of the Midwest Center for Constitutional Rights.
“That’s really the purpose today at this particular No Kings event -- the leadership standpoint,” he added. “There are others who want to see the message continue on. Some people have expressed concern about the direction of the country to the point where, even after the election, they are worried about where we might go. There’s still a concern, and they want to continue these events. It’s not just for now, but for the future, too.”
In Ohio, residents who are looking to vote early can go to the board of elections in the county they live in. Once there, the process will be the same as it would be if you voted at your precinct on election day. After completing the check-in process, participants fill in their ballots and run them through the machine.
“When I take someone to vote early for the first time, they have no idea what they’re doing,” Core said. “They have so many questions. Once they finished, they say it was so easy. There were no concerns, no worries. They are anxious to do it again, because it’s so much better than having to be there on the day, getting ready, facing the weather and dealing with the crowds.”