ON THE BALLOT: Chelsea Clark for Secretary of State by Morgan Young
It's time to learn about the candidates on the November 08 ballot. This is a BIG election that will affect our daily lives. Meet Chelsea Clark, candidate for Ohio Secretary of State
Chelsea Clark is running for Ohio Secretary of State in the November 08 General Election.
The Secretary of State oversees Ohio’s elections. Clark says, “I’m running because our democracy is under attack. I will fight to make sure that we all have access to vote, that all votes are counted, and that our elections are safe and secure.”
One important duty of the Secretary of State is sitting on Ohio’s Redistricting Commission, which draws the district boundary lines for our elections. A pillar of Clark’s platform is her promise to create and protect fair voting maps for Ohio. Clark’s opponent, incumbent Republican Frank LaRose, has defended skewed maps created by the Commission of which he is a part, and he has rejected reasonable maps submitted by Ohio citizens. The maps LaRose helped create and defended have twice been ruled unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court, specifically for gerrymandering in favor of Republicans, resulting in unfair election results.
As Secretary of State, Clark says she will “put people ahead of politics.”
Clark wants to increase voter access. Some strategies she would like to employ include stopping unnecessary voter purges, which target communities of color and young people; and introducing automatic voter registration to teens turning 18. Clark would also allow for on-line voter registration, and she would expand early voting to weekends and hours that allow working people to easily participate.
Clark will ensure election integrity by modernizing the statewide voter registration database and removing loopholes that allow “dark money” to go unreported. “Dark money” refers to campaign funds that come from groups that do not disclose their donors. Dark money damages state and local elections because it frequently flows from special interest groups that have a direct and immediate stake in the outcome of the election. Dark money also allows foreign funds to influence US elections.
In addition to overseeing elections, the Secretary of State supports Ohio’s businesses. Clark is a single mother of two, a small business owner, a city councilwoman, and a sixth-generation farmer. Her career began as a financial analyst before becoming a teacher. Clark started her own non-profit providing math and reading support for children. She also opened a community STEM lab for underserved families. Clark’s goal for her STEM lab is to prepare kids for the jobs of tomorrow.
As councilwoman, Clark leads the minority business outreach program.
As an entrepreneur Clark understands the everyday issues facing small business owners in Ohio. She promises to remove obstacles and make it easier to start an Ohio business. Under Clark, the Secretary of State’s office will strive to be the most transparent and user-friendly business portal of any state in the nation. In fact, Clark will work with other government entities to make sure businesses have a one-stop shop for all they need to operate in Ohio. Clark will create an Office of Entrepreneurship to support Ohioans interested in starting businesses. And she will develop business resources specific to veterans, minority populations, and women.
Clark holds a business degree from Miami University of Ohio. While attending Miami, Clark started the campus chapter of the ACLU and helped organize for better wages for university employees.
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ABOUT THE POSITION:
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As Ohio’s chief elections officer, the Secretary of State oversees the election process and appoints the members of boards of elections in each of Ohio’s 88 counties. The Secretary of State oversees Campaign Finance Compliance, investigates election fraud and irregularities, and sits on the Ohio Redistricting Commission, which draws the district boundaries for our voting maps. News businesses are granted licenses by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State’s office maintains records of all notaries and issues licenses to ministers for the purpose of solemnizing marriages in Ohio.
DONATE to Chelsea Clark’s Campaign:
https://www.chelseaforohio.com/issues.html#!
Learn more about Clark’s Plan: https://www.chelseaforohio.com/issues.html
Campaign website: https://www.chelseaforohio.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ChelseaClark4OHIO/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ChelseaForOhio?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor