"Taxpayer-Funded
Election Holiday is Bad Policy"
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Several members of the Cincinnati City Council have proposed a change in city law that would make one day during the month-long election period in Cincinnati a paid day-off for city employees.
The tradition of Election Day was changed dramatically over a decade ago by Republican-led legislation making for a near month-long election process in the State of Ohio. In fact, Ohio is one of the states with the most expansive voting rights in the nation.
Voters in Ohio can cast a ballot nearly a month before the traditional Election Day by voting from home, by mail, and in-person during expansive hours at their local Board of Elections.
Weekend voting is also a reality with ample time for citizens to cast their ballots during the weekends leading up to the traditional Election Day.
If voting from home wasn't easy enough, city employees have the option to visit the Board of Elections, centrally located in Norwood, to cast their ballot for almost a month.
Statement of Chairman Alex M. Triantafilou
"What is being proposed at City Hall is just another example of the poor decision-making we see from many politicians on City Council. Their failed Streetcar, mishandling of the City Manager, and their recent inability to follow through on an exciting new development on the city's West End are just a few of the poor choices they've made.
"Residents of the City of Cincinnati have 198 hours of early voting available to them. They can vote on Saturdays and on the Sunday leading up to the final day of voting in November.
"Even easier, city voters have an entire month to cast a ballot from the comfort of their home with just the cost of one postage stamp.
"Cincinnati, and the entire state of Ohio, now have "Election Month" and not just "Election Day." Voting in Cincinnati has never been easier.
"Voting takes, on average, less than 20 minutes to accomplish. (SeeGovernment Accountability Study). Yet, this City Council proposes another government holiday, paid for by beleaguered city taxpayers, to allow government employees an entire day to accomplish something they can easily accomplish for a month before Election Day or from the comfort of their own home.
"It is ironic that this idea from certain members of Cincinnati City Council comes on the same day as aCincinnati Enquirer storyabout the basic inability of some members of Council to simply do their job by attending meetings.
"With all of the problems faced by the City of Cincinnati, the politicians on City Council need to get to work and stay at work to solve them.
"Providing another public taxpayer-funded holiday is bad public policy and sends the wrong message to taxpayers.
Alex M. Triantafilou
Chairman