COLUMBUS – Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced the 2022 Raise a Glass to Democracy voter registration campaign is expanding to include Ohio distilleries and wineries, as well as more craft breweries. While the 2020 campaign enlisted the support of more than fifty breweries, today the program has grown to more than 100.
The campaign will utilize special branding with a website that allows for online voter registration. Partnering businesses will once again make special beers or include common labeling on their products, display posters in their locations, and post to their social media accounts to get the word out about the October 11 voter registration deadline for the November election.
“It’s a time-honored tradition for friends to talk politics over their favorite drink - but if you’re not registered to vote, talk is all you can do. This was the basic idea behind our innovative voter registration campaign which empowers voters to turn that talk into action by getting engaged and making their voices heard,” said LaRose. "We were so proud of how well this nationally-recognized campaign worked in 2020 that we wanted to expand it to include more of Ohio’s booming beer, wine, and spirits companies"
Registering to vote is easy in Ohio.
In 2015 as an Ohio State Senator, Secretary LaRose introduced legislation that allowed eligible Ohioans to register to vote online. That bill became law in 2016 and since then hundreds of thousands of Ohioans have gone online to register to vote or update their registration To register online at VoteOhio.gov, Ohioans will need to provide their Ohio driver’s license or Ohio identification card number, name, date of birth, address, or the last four digits of their Social Security number. By law, Ohioans must register or update their voter registration no later than thirty days prior to an election. The registration deadline for the November 8 General Election is October 11, 2022.
Younger voters are less likely to be registered or participate in an election.
Just as in 2020, it is expected that older adults are more likely to turn out to vote this fall. Ohio is stronger when all of our voices are heard from every generation. To help bridge this gap, the Secretary has asked businesses that have a unique capability to reach younger Ohioans to partner with the Secretary of State’s office to increase the number of registered Ohio voters. According to a Harris Poll/Nielsen, more than half of 21- to 44-year-olds have said they drink craft beer. In a separate 2021 study by The Harris Poll, younger wine consumers from the Midwest were more open to wines made outside of traditional places like California and Europe.
Ohio small businesses are stepping up to make a difference.
The Raise a Glass to Democracy voter registration campaign began as a brainstorm between the Secretary of State’s office and Ohio craft breweries. More than fifty signed up to create a beer using a universal label designed to encourage civic engagement and boost voter registration. This year, more breweries are collaborating with the program, along with twenty distilleries and thirty wineries so far. The labels promote the VoteOhio.gov website without sacrificing the businesses branding.
OUTCOME: Partnering with craft breweries, distilleries, and wineries -- an important representation of Ohio small businesses -- will not only expand outreach on the importance of voter registration and updating current registration information, but will also help raise awareness of Ohio’s growing adult beverage industry.
Watch a video from the Raise a Glass to Democracy kickoff event.
Businesses that would like to find out more about the campaign or sign up can do so at the Secretary's Every Vote Counts website.
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