For Immediate Release
August 9, 2002
For More Information Contact:
Julie Wagner Feasel, Director of Communications – jfeasel@ohiochamber.com
Chip McConville, Director of Political and Candidate Education – cmcconville@ohiochamber.com

Election Web Site Focuses on Business Issues
www.ohiobusinessvotes.org

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, in a collaborative effort with the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce and the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce, announces ohiobusinessvotes.org. This business-oriented Web site provides detailed information on Ohio’s 2002 November elections as well as information on the current General Assembly members.

Ohiobusinessvotes.org features seamless district matching, detailed candidate information and in-depth election information all in one location. This robust Web site is updated daily and includes an interactive e-mail feature for Chamber members.

“The purpose of ohiobuinessvotes.org is to educate Ohio business people about the economic effects of legislative and judicial actions and to prepare them to participate in the political process in an informed manner,” said Chip McConville, director of Political and Candidate Education (PaCE) for the Ohio Chamber. “This site provides all of the tools business people need to register to vote, find out how candidates stand on business issues and track the performance of Ohio’s elected officials.”

How it Works
Once on ohiobusinessvotes.org, you will be asked to register. The registration information is kept confidential and will not be sold or distributed to other entities. Users only have to register once and no passwords are required. As the election draws near, information will be continually added to the site, including race re-caps, fund-raising progress and polling results, so you will want to visit often.

The site is divided into eight main areas: Ohio Voters’ Guide, Legislative Voting Record, Ohio Legislative Committee Guide, Ohio Court Watch, Ohio District Maps, Ohio District Finder, Candidate Questionnaire and Employee Information. Other sections include information on candidate recruitment and election endorsements.

Voters’ Guide
The Voter’s Guide contains information on every candidate for the Ohio General Assembly plus detailed district information that includes a district map. Candidate information includes a picture, contact information and a biographical background. If a candidate is a current state legislator, you can link directly to the legislator’s Ohio Chamber voting record.

Voting Record
Since 1994, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce has compiled a Legislative Voting Record so Ohioans can track how legislators are voting on major issues that affect Ohio’s business climate. In this section, you can search by legislator, bill number or category to find out where any legislator stands on issues important to you and your business. Partnering Chambers will be able to add their voting records as well.

Ohio Court Watch
A vibrant business climate requires balanced public policy decisions and fair and predictable interpretations of our laws. In Ohio, all judges – even the seven Supreme Court justices – are elected. Too many times, Ohio voters go to the polls knowing very little about judicial issues. In the Ohio Court Watch section, you can study the Ohio Chamber’s Evaluation of the Ohio Supreme Court, review findings of evaluations of district appellate courts and learn how the personal philosophy of each judge is reflected in key business decisions.

District Information
As required by the Ohio Constitution, Ohio House, Senate and U.S. House district lines were redrawn in 2002 to reflect the 2000 census data. On this site, you can view and even print out the new district maps. Due to the redrawing of the lines, your districts could have changed. With our district finder, you can find out your districts -- and who the candidates are -- in just one step by entering your street address or zip code.

Business Questionnaire
The Ohio Chamber, in conjunction with four other statewide business associations, created a joint questionnaire to find out where candidates stand on particular business issues. You can search by candidate to find his/her position on issues such as health care mandates, tort reform and taxes, just to name a few.

Employee Information
No matter how informed someone may be about a candidate, it doesn’t do them any good if they are not registered to vote or fail to vote. This Web site provides voter registration information where users can request a voter registration form and even an absentee ballot. There’s a link to the county board of election offices as well. The site also contains sample newsletter articles for Chamber companies to reprint and helpful materials to reinforce the importance of voting.

Optional Interactive E-mail
Businesses are encouraged to link to ohiobusinessvotes.org through their company Web sites and inform their employees about the site. As an added benefit, Chamber members can use the site to create and send e-mails to their employees. The e-mails can be used to let employees know how a particular legislator voted on a bill or ask employees to contact a legislator about a piece of legislation that is important to your company. Chamber members who are interested in this function are asked to contact Chip McConville for registration and usage information.

“This site is not going away after the November elections,” McConville said. “We’ll be adding information to it so that users will be able to follow what their elected officials are doing at the Statehouse. This Web site is ever-evolving, providing users the information they need to stay informed and make the right decisions in the voting booth.”