Secretary of State Jon Husted
Husted Marks Democracy Day, Kicks Off Grads Vote During Portage County Visit

COLUMBUS – Secretary of State Jon Husted today joined more than 150 students at Windham High School in Portage County to commemorate Democracy Day and kick off Grads Vote 2014.

“Voting is not only a right, but also a responsibility,” Secretary Husted said. “By educating future generations of voters about the role they can have in deciding the outcome of an election, which has a direct impact on their lives, we will hopefully have an electorate that is more engaged.”

Both Democracy Day and Grads Vote are initiatives designed to increase the number of 18-year-olds who register to vote and participate in elections. Democracy Day, launched in 2009 by Rock the Vote, educates students about elections and the importance of their participation in that process. Grads Vote is an outreach effort promoted by the Secretary of State’s office that provides every graduating high school senior with information on becoming an active voter.

Since taking office, Secretary Husted has sent voter information packets to roughly 465,000 high school seniors through the Grads Vote program. Currently, there are nearly 42,000 18-year-olds registered to vote in Ohio.

The deadline to register to vote in this year’s May 6th Primary Election is April 7, 2014, and the deadline for the November 4th General Election is October 6, 2014. To become a registered voter, a person must complete a voter registration form and meet the following requirements:

· Eighteen years-old on or before the next General Election;

· A citizen of the United States;

· A resident of Ohio at least 30 days before the election in which they want to vote;

· Not incarcerated in jail or prison for a felony;

· Not declared incompetent for voting purposes by a court; and

· Not permanently denied the right to vote for violating election laws.

Registration forms and additional information are available online at GradsVoteOhio.com.