CAIR-Cleveland & Northern Ohio

Category: Elections and Voting

  • CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland Joins the Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates at the Cuyahoga County Corrections Center

    (CLEVELAND, OH, 8/17/23) – On Thursday, August 11, the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) joined the Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates (NOVA) and community members for a meeting with Cuyahoga County Corrections Center Jail (CCCCJ) administrators to discuss incarceree voter rights and procedures.

    The meeting was initiated in preparation for the November 2023 election. According to NOVA, volunteers have registered voters in the Cuyahoga County Jail since 2010. Voter registration has been offered in this jail since 2000 and between 2010 and 2018, NOVA was permitted to do in-person registration without requiring detained voters to sign up in advance.

    In 2020, due to the pandemic and public health concerns, NOVA switched to video visits in lieu of in-person registration and the turnout declined significantly. In 2022, NOVA was allowed to resume in-person registration, but voters had to sign up in advance. According to NOVA data, this reduced turnout by 50%. In 2022, 58 people voted from the jail compared to 115 in 2018.

    NOVA and CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland along with community members met with jail administrators to discuss ways to increase voter participation and voter information amongst the inmate voter population.

    Interim Executive Director of CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland, Faten Odeh said, “As a civil rights organization, ensuring every voter has the ability to exercise their right to vote and access to the information in order to make informed decisions for our democracy is an essential value of CAIR.”

    NOVA board president, Meredith Hellmer, lead organizer Maddie Haughton, volunteer Barbara Marburger, CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland’s Faten Odeh and community voter rights advocate Katrice Williams met with Associate Warden Jennifer Frame, Warden Michelle Henry, Chief of Corrections Dale Soltis, and Sheriff Harold Pretel.

    NOVA board president Meredith Hellmer said: “I was pleased that the Sheriff took time to come.”

    If interested in helping voters register at CCCJ this September, please contact NOVA at info@nova-ohio.org.

    CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

    La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

     

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    CONTACT:  CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland Interim Executive Director Faten Odeh, 216.830.2247, fodeh@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202.744.7726, ihooper@cair.com

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  • CAIR-Ohio Partners with Cleveland Votes to Help Promote Voter Engagement

    CAIR-Ohio Partners with Cleveland Votes to Help Promote Voter Engagement

    (CLEVELAND, OHIO – 11/7/2022) – The Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio (CAIR-Cleveland) has teamed up with dozens of local community-based organizations and nonprofits under the leadership of Cleveland Votes, a nonpartisan democracy building and mobilization entity, to help increase voter engagement in the run-up to the 2022 midterm elections.

    Under Cleveland Votes’ Equitable Civic Engagement banner, CAIR-Cleveland has engaged Muslim communities throughout Cuyahoga County in an effort to ensure access to the ballot and voter turnout.

    Equitable Civic Engagement helps reach voters where they are in culturally relevant and meaningful ways. As such, CAIR-Cleveland chapter has held voter engagement tabling and outreach drives at the following area mosques and community events:

    • Islamic Center of Cleveland
    • Chagrin Valley Islamic Center
    • Islamic Society of Akron & Kent
    • Muslim Association of Cleveland East
    • Masjid Rasool Allah
    • Cleveland State University Muslim Students Association
    • National Voter Registration Day
    • Westlake Porter Public Library
    • One World Day

    “Led by Black women, Cleveland Votes is a supportive umbrella organization that knows how to get the job done of promoting equitable access to the ballot while building enthusiasm in the community for what the fruits of true democracy can look like in America,” CAIR-Cleveland chapter Executive Director Julia Shearson said. “We are honored and proud to be selected as one of the many partners of Cleveland Votes.”

    In addition to registering community members to vote and helping to facilitate absentee ballot requests, CAIR-Ohio Cleveland Chapter has sent postcards to more than 8,000 community members in northern Ohio reminding them about the importance of voting as part of a vibrant democracy.

    The outreach campaign, entitled “Do Not Surrender the Vote!” is based on a quote from Keith Ellison, the first Muslim in the US Congress and the first African American to serve in Congress from Minnesota who one said, “Not voting is not a protest. It is a surrender.” The campaign also includes public service announcement videos to engage Muslim voters.

    Click the links below to watch our public service announcements.

    We Can’t Afford to Stand Idle!

    Make Sure Your Voice is Heard! 

    Do Not Surrender Your Vote! 

    Voting and Election Questions with Imam Tadese

    Now is Your Chance!

    Vote Like Your Life Depends On It!

    For more information on Cleveland Votes click here.

    CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

    La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

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    CONTACT:  CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland Chapter Executive Director Julia Shearson, 216.830.2247, jshearson@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202.744.7726, ihooper@cair.com

  • CAIR-Cleveland Engages Ohio Muslims in Get-Out-the-Vote Efforts for the Mid-Term Elections

    CAIR-Cleveland Engages Ohio Muslims in Get-Out-the-Vote Efforts for the Mid-Term Elections

    (CLEVELAND, OH – 10/30/18) – The Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Cleveland) is engaging Muslim voters in Ohio through a get-out-the vote campaign in the run-up to the mid-term elections.

    The campaign entitled, You Can’t Ban the Vote, involves a get-out-the vote telethon, public service announcement videos and postcard reminders aimed at getting out the Muslim vote in Ohio.

    “The purpose of this campaign is to remind Muslims in Ohio about the importance of getting out to vote especially in this year’s crucial mid-term elections,” said CAIR-Cleveland Executive Director Julia Shearson.

    Click & Watch PSA Video Clips Below:

    Let’s Put Our Faith into Action and Get Out the Vote!  

    Don’t Let Voter Suppression Get You Down. Get Out to Vote! 

    Keep the Faith and Keep the Vote Alive! 

    The Mid-Term Elections Counts, So Let’s Make Our Vote Count! 

    CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

    La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

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    CONTACT:  CAIR-Cleveland Executive Director Julia Shearson, 216.830.2247, jshearson@cair.com; CAIR-Cleveland Co-Founder M. Isam Zaiem, 216.337.7928, isamz@sbcglobal.net.