Cuyahoga County announced Tuesday – National Voter Registration Day – that it will hiring a voting-rights coordinator as part of a new initiative to promote the right and need to vote. The county plans to lead efforts in voter engagement, support a voter awareness summit for youth and partner with libraries to promote online voter registration options for residents. “The right to vote is critical to our democracy,” County Executive Armond Budish said in a statement. “At a time when some are trying to make it harder to vote, we need to do more to help people get registered. Cuyahoga County is dedicated to making voting as accessible as possible for all of our residents.”
Budish is expected to talk about the initiative at a news conference with other officials, including Sari Feldman, executive director of the Cuyahoga County Public Library and Pat McDonald, director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
The county will hire a voting-rights coordinator, who will work with other county agencies to improve civic engagement opportunities. The coordinator will also promote voter registration efforts. The job and salary has not been posted, officials said.
While voter turnout is high during presidential elections, it falls off for others, said McDonald in a statement. “Our challenge is to increase voter turnout every year and for every election,” he said. “This initiative is a big step toward increased voter engagement.”
Full Article: New Cuyahoga County initiative will encourage voting | cleveland.com.